Summary: E-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes both cause immediate harm to vascular function, even without nicotine, as demonstrated by advanced radiology techniques, highlighting potential long-term health risks.

Researchers have uncovered immediate impacts of cigarette and e-cigarette use on vascular function, even in the absence of nicotine. These findings will be presented at the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) meeting next week.

E-Cigarettes: Fewer Toxins but Not Risk-Free

E-cigarettes, or vapes, are battery-operated devices that heat a liquid into an aerosol for inhalation. While vapes contain fewer chemicals and toxins than traditional tobacco smoke, they are often perceived as less harmful and are particularly popular among young people due to their variety of flavors.

“E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking,” says lead author Marianne Nabbout, MD, a radiology resident at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. “Some believe that e-cigarettes don’t contain harmful products like free radicals found in regular tobacco cigarettes because no combustion is involved.”

However, the study highlights that vaping can still harm vascular function and overall health.

Smoking and Vaping’s Vascular Effects

Nabbout and her team at the University of Pennsylvania investigated the acute effects of cigarette smoking and vaping (with and without nicotine) on vascular health.

The study included 31 healthy smokers and vapers aged 21-49. Each participant underwent two MRI exams—one before and one after using tobacco cigarettes, nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, and non-nicotine e-cigarettes. For comparison, baseline scans from 10 non-smokers and non-vapers aged 21–33 were analyzed.

Using phase-contrast MRI, the researchers measured cerebrovascular reactivity (blood flow in the brain). They also evaluated femoral artery blood flow velocity and venous oxygen saturation before and after a blood flow restriction test using a cuff on the upper thigh.

Key Study Findings

  • Inhalation of tobacco cigarettes and e-cigarettes caused a significant drop in resting blood flow velocity in the superficial femoral artery, which supplies oxygen to the lower body.
  • Nicotine-containing e-cigarettes showed the greatest impact, followed by non-nicotine e-cigarettes.
  • Both types of vaping led to decreased venous oxygen saturation, indicating reduced oxygen uptake by the lungs.

“This study highlights the acute effects smoking and vaping can have on multiple vascular beds,” Nabbout says. “If acute consumption can immediately affect vessels, chronic use could potentially lead to vascular disease.”

Public Health Implications

Nabbout emphasized that vaping is not without harm. “Refraining from smoking and vaping is always recommended,” she says. “Ultimately, we rely on science to guide the regulation of such products in favor of public health.”

This research is supported by the National Institutes of Health.