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Experts from the University of Kansas examined data from more than 90,000 e-cigarette users. They found people who vaped every day were 34 per cent more likely than non-e-cigarette users to suffer a heart attack, and those who used the devices more sporadically had a 29 per cent increased risk.
The study was not perfect – most of the e-cigarette users were ex-smokers so the heart problems could be due to their lifetime of tobacco use. Roughly a third of the 90,000 e-cigarette users were also smokers. The team’s initial analysis suggested e-cigarette users had a 56 per cent increased risk of heart attack than those who did not vape.
Taking into account the fact that people who were also regularly smoking tobacco had a 165 per cent increased heart attack risk, they calculated the increased isk of vaping alone dropped to about 34 per cent. They found e-cigarette users were also 55 per cent more likely to suffer from depression or anxiety.
E-cigarettes contain a liquid form of nicotine that is heated into vapour to be inhaled, avoiding the harm caused by tobacco smoke. Around 3million adults in Britain have used e-cigarettes in the decade or so that they have been on the market. Public Health England, along with many other health experts in the UK, view e-cigarettes as a crucial tool in the fight against tobacco.
E-cigarettes form the core of Public Health England’s stop-smoking strategy, with TV adverts, health campaigns, and researchers championing the technology.
But other experts – particularly cardiologists – are concerned about unresolved safety concerns and are particularly worried about their use among young people.
But other experts – particularly cardiologists – are concerned about unresolved safety concerns and are particularly worried about their use among young people.
Critics have repeatedly warned that the UK is ‘way out of step with the rest of the world’ in its approach to the devices.
The World Health Organisation is concerned about cancer-causing chemicals in the devices and the EU believes e-cigarettes may act as a ‘gateway’ to tobacco. Last month the then-head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Scott Gottlieb, said he was so concerned about teenage use of the devices that he is considering the radical step of banning them completely.
The World Health Organisation is concerned about cancer-causing chemicals in the devices and the EU believes e-cigarettes may act as a ‘gateway’ to tobacco. Last month the then-head of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Scott Gottlieb, said he was so concerned about teenage use of the devices that he is considering the radical step of banning them completely.
An editorial in the respected New England Journal of Medicine research last month warned about the concerns among health professionals in the US. It warned: ‘While e-cigarettes are ‘safer’ than traditional cigarettes, they are not without risks.
‘Evidence of effectiveness must be balanced against the short-term and long-term safety of e-cigarettes.
‘Evidence of effectiveness must be balanced against the short-term and long-term safety of e-cigarettes.
‘E-cigarette vapour contains many toxins and exerts potentially adverse biologic effects on human cells… although toxin levels and biologic effects are generally lower than those of tobacco smoke.’
Martin Dockrell, in charge of tobacco policy at Public Health England, said last night: ‘This confirms what PHE has been saying for several years: vaping isn’t risk free but it is far less harmful than smoking. It’s a no brainer – switching to vaping will always be far less harmful than smoking.
Martin Dockrell, in charge of tobacco policy at Public Health England, said last night: ‘This confirms what PHE has been saying for several years: vaping isn’t risk free but it is far less harmful than smoking. It’s a no brainer – switching to vaping will always be far less harmful than smoking.