No one doubts for a long time that smoking is harmful to women’s health. Some time ago, vaping began to be considered as an alternative to tobacco – supposedly, it does not cause any harm to the body. However, a single vaping session can lead to a change in blood circulation, and researchers fear that vaping may cause arterial sclerotization over time.
Vaping is also gaining popularity among women – in 2018, 1 out of 3 tried to smoke an electronic cigarette. This habit endangers their health.
Despite the optimistic start, the safety of vapes doubted quite quickly. And in May 2016, the United States altogether banned the sale of vapes to people under the age of 18. Also, manufacturers were obliged to register their products and liquids (including their components), simultaneously checking and proving their safety. In New Zealand, nicotine-containing vaping fluids are entirely prohibited.
All this happens because the effect of nicotine-free vape (search here) on woman health is not fully understood. It is not worth completely trusting the “experts” who claim that “soaring is 95 percent safer than smoking”. Liquid for electronic cigarettes does not contain carcinogens and resins, which mainly provoke the development of cancer. Nevertheless, vapes may well be harmful to the body for other reasons and in the longer term: scientists have not yet managed to establish it. Besides, many people combine vaping and smoking regular cigarettes, which complicates research.
The use of electronic cigarettes is not associated with acute side effects on the functioning of the cardiovascular system, Greek doctor Konstantinos Farsalinos said at a press conference at the ESC 2012 Congress.
Smoking is a preventable risk factor for diseases of the cardiovascular system and lungs of women. According to scientists, more than a billion people will die from smoking in the 21st century. Over the past few years, electronic cigarettes have been touted as a safer alternative to smoking. There are already several million users of these devices worldwide. Is smoking of non-nicotine vape harmful, or is this statement wrong?
Electric steam generators simulate smoking due to the production of steam inhaled by the user. Such a device consists of a battery, a cartridge containing a liquid for electronic cigarettes, and a heating element that runs on battery power and vaporizes the liquid. Supporters of e-cigarettes claim that using steam generators, the harm caused by smoking can be minimized. Laboratory tests of liquid electronic cigarettes showed that, compared with tobacco counterparts, the level of toxicity is deficient.
Most studies have not found traces of nitrosamines. Even in those cases, when these substances were discovered, their amount was 500 – 1400 times less than in one tobacco cigarette. To get the number of nitrosamines found in one tobacco cigarette, an electronic cigarette will have to be smoked from four months to one year. But this gives an answer to the question of whether an electronic device is harmful to a smoker in only one way. Diseases of the cardiovascular system are the dominant cause of death among smokers. 40% of them are associated only with disorders of the coronary artery. The research team decided to find out if the electronic cigarette affects the heart. They decided to compare the results with data on the effect of smoking tobacco cigarettes since electric steam generators are advertised only among smokers as an alternative to the smoking products. And only such a comparison can be considered reliable when answering the question of how much smoke of a nicotine-free vape pen is harmful to the women’s heart.
Previous studies by this team of researchers, as well as several other researchers, have shown that inhalation of tobacco smoke leads to acute side effects on the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Even young and healthy smokers show slight disruptions in the operation of this system, which in the future can lead to the development of more severe diseases. The researchers set their goal to find out whether such violations are present in young users of electronic cigarettes. It is believed that the harm done to the respiratory system is reduced because not dry, dry smoke is inhaled, but steam. But accurate analyzes of the effects of electronic cigarettes on the heart have not been previously conducted.
So far, there are few studies and reviews on the health effects of e-cigarettes. Only some associations have begun to make cautious statements about this type of smoking. The FDA reports that they do not know what is in the liquid for electronic cigarettes. Nevertheless, in laboratory tests conducted by the FDA in 2009, detectable levels of toxic, carcinogenic chemicals, including the component used in antifreeze, were found in two leading brands of electronic cigarettes and 18 different liquids. ” I repeat: flavors in vaporization liquids are approved as food additives, but not for soaring and inhalation. Therefore, they can cause changes in the lungs of women, as they contain diacetyl.
Recently, the international non-profit organization Cochrane Collaboration published a report on the dangers of no nicotine vape for women, written on the basis of all the scientific studies available in the arsenal. Previously, the experts of this organization have repeatedly released materials on the dangers of regular smoking.
Researchers cited three critical facts: the use of liquids containing nicotine helps “traditional” smokers get rid of an addiction, in the short term (2-3 years) vapes do not cause significant harm to the body. Most importantly, some (but not all) vapers experience the same changes in blood and breathing as those who quit smoking.
Despite this, the results of the original studies vary. So, an article published in the journal PLOS ONE, states that vaping helps quit smoking, and a review of the authoritative magazine Lancet Respiratory Medicine contains conflicting information. In many ways, such contradictions call into question not only the conclusions of scientists but also their methods, in particular, a randomized controlled trial.
The safety of electronic cigarettes in the short term can definitely be said. Nevertheless, some circumstances cause some concern: for example, it has recently been proven that use of non-nicotine vape pen has the same effect on the blood vessels and heart of women as smoking cigarettes. But to accurately interpret all the available data, you will have to wait for the results of long-term studies.
