E-Cigarettes Do Not Effect Coronary Circulation – Claims Study

The recent reclassification of e-cigarettes as medicines that require a prescription (from 2016) in the UK has caused alarm amongst some regular users. There have been some studies that suggest their use is far less harmful than the alternative – smoking real cigarettes. However, a recent study has found that, while there are some concerns, the smoking of e-cigarettes does not impact on coronary circulation in any way.

How Do E-cigarettes Work?

First invented in China in 2003, the E-cigarette was designed to aid smokers in their efforts to quit, and it involved two important facets. Firstly, it was seen as a convenient and safe way of getting nicotine into the body. Secondly, it replicated the action of smoking that people get so used to in their lives.

A pen-sized tube was designed to look like a cigarette at first glance. Powered by a small battery, the tube was filled with liquid nicotine. The liquid is turned into vapour by the device, and that vapour is then inhaled by the user. It seems that many governments were taken by surprise with the new invention, as e-cigarettes quickly flooded Asian, North American and European markets without government control or clinical drugs trials.

The Study

Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos presented the results of a small research project at last year’s European Society of Cardiology (ESC) congress. The study involved comparisons of heart rate, blood pressure and left ventricular function amongst 40 subjects, and it failed to prove a link between the smoking of e-cigarettes and problems with coronary circulation.

However, Dr Farsalinos went further this year by studying coronary flow velocity reserve(CFVR) and coronary vascular resistance index(CVRI) amongst 60 patients, and the results were conclusive. Thirty of the subjects were smokers, and the other thirty had given up smoking at least one month ago. All subjects were tested thirty minutes after smoking an e-cigarette, and not one subject on the study showed signs of decreased CFVR or CVRI. However, the smokers in the group were also asked to smoke two cigarettes – their CFVR and CVRI levels decreased significantly upon testing.

This study delivered clear evidence that cigarettes have a direct impact on coronary circulation. But more importantly, it pointed to the fact that e-cigarettes have no such effects. Contrary to the fears of several e-cigarette critics, switching from real cigarettes can deliver tangible and relatively speedy health benefits.

E-cigarettes Should be Seen as an Alternative

Despite these encouraging findings, Dr. Farsalinos made it clear that e-cigarettes shouldn’t be promoted as a new habit for non-smokers. Although the doctor’s study proved there were no immediate effects on coronary circulation, it is still true that e-cigarettes dispense low levels of potentially harmful acrolein and formaldehyde. However, the levels of harmful toxins in e-cigarettes are between 10 and 400 times lower than they are in real cigarettes, so smokers can benefit greatly from making the switch.

What the Future Holds

The smoking of e-cigarettes in public places is banned in France, and their distribution has been limited to the over-18s. The British government, meanwhile, has moved to regulate through prescription in 2016. While concerns persist over the effect of long-term use of e-cigarettes, governments and health professionals are keen to get the message across that these useful products are a fantastic alternative.

Consumer Reports