Vaping has an ‘immediate’ negative effect on how well blood vessels work – even if the e-cigarette doesn’t contain nicotine.
A new study showed after just a few puffs, the amount of oxygen-rich blood being supplied to organs like the heart drops significantly.
Scientists say the results may mean that vaping regularly could lead to blood clots, strokes, and other vascular conditions including dementia.
The effect was most dramatic in people using vapes that contained nicotine but were seen even among those who puffed on drug-free versions.
Both nicotine and nicotine-free vapes were found to cause more issues with the blood vessels than regular cigarettes.
Nicotine has long been known to damage blood vessels but researchers believe their findings show there is something inherently harmful about e-cigarettes.
The devices work by heating liquid that turns into a vapor that is inhaled and they do not contain the same cancer-causing chemicals as tobacco smoke.
But e-cigarette vapor can contain other harmful substances like lead, nickel and formaldehyde, depending on the brand of device.
Dr Marianne Nabbout, lead author of the study and a radiology resident at the University of Arkansas, said: ‘E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking.
They were dubbed a safe alternative to smoking, but the jury is coming in against vaping (stock)
‘Some believe that e-cigarettes don’t contain any of the harmful products, such as free radicals, found in regular tobacco cigarettes, because no combustion is involved.’
But she said that was not true.
‘Even if there was no nicotine in the e-cigarette, there could be other components that may be harmful,’ said Dr Nabbout.
‘That is why I think we saw these significant effects, even when the subjects were not choosing the nicotine-based electronic cigarette.’
Most doctors agree vaping is safer than cigarettes and encourage patients who smoke to switch to the electronic devices.
But there are concerns that young people who never used tobacco products are being hooked on vapes which come in child-friendly flavors and bright colors.
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An estimated 7 percent of American adults currently vaped in 2024, compared to 11 percent who used cigarettes.
Meanwhile 1.63million U.S. middle and high school students (5.9 percent) used e-cigarettes this year.
Dr Nabbout and her team studies what happened to the bodies of cigarette smokers, e-cigarette users and vapers who used products without nicotine.
They enrolled 31 people between age 21 to 49, comparing their results with those of 10 people who did not smoke or vape.
Participants were given MRI scans before and after vaping or smoking, or at each visit for the non-users.
Vascular dementia is one of the risks of long-term damage to blood vessels (stock)
Each volunteer also wore a cuff on their upper thigh to restrict blood flow before and after usage.
Once deflated, the researchers measured the speed at which blood moved through the femoral artery, which runs along the thigh and supplies oxygenated blood to the lower body.
The researchers also looked at the amount of oxygen present in the blood returning to the heart after it supplied oxygen to the body’s tissues.
They found that each time someone smoked or vaped, there was a significant decrease in all three markers.
The people who used vapes with nicotine had the most significant reduction in vascular function, followed by the group who used vapes without nicotine.
Dr Nabbout said: ‘This study serves to highlight the acute effects smoking and vaping can have on a multitude of vascular beds in the human body.
‘If the acute consumption of an e-cigarette can have an effect that is immediately manifested at the level of the vessels, it is conceivable that the chronic use can cause vascular disease.’
Over time, there are concerns these effects could lead to vascular dementia, when blood vessels in the brain are damaged, reducing the flow of oxygen and nutrients to the brain.
It could also lead to strokes, blood clots and coronary artery disease.
Dr Nabbout says the take-home message for the public is that vaping may not be free of harm.
She added: ‘Ultimately, we are relying on science to help guide the regulation of such products in favour of public health.
‘Refraining from smoking and vaping is always recommended.’
The results of the ongoing research have not been published in a peer-reviewed journal but is a presentation at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago.
