Posted on 02/05/2018 1:48:04 PM PST by nickcarraway
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have published one of the largest reports to have ever investigated the effects of electronic cigarettes. We summarize its findings below.
A comprehensive new report reviews the health risks of electronic cigarettes.
The report — which can be accessed in full here — reviews over 800 scientific studies and draws several conclusions on various health aspects that may be affected by the use of electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes.
The need for an in-depth analysis of e-cigarettes is evident given their widespread use. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 12 percent of the American adult population have at least tried an e-cigarette, and approximately 3.7 percent of Americans use e-cigarettes regularly.
E-cigarettes are even more prevalent among young people. Over 20 percent of adults aged between 18 and 24 have tried them, according to the CDC, although this number tends to decline with age.
Despite their widespread use, the health effects of e-cigarettes are still unclear. Here at Medical News Today, we've reported on studies suggesting that vaping may not be great for our cardiovascular health, but, admittedly, the evidence is quite limited.
"E-cigarettes cannot be simply categorized as either beneficial or harmful," says David Eaton, chair of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) committee that wrote up the new report.
"In some circumstances, such as their use by non-smoking adolescents and young adults, their adverse effects clearly warrant concern. In other cases, such as when adult smokers use them to quit smoking, they offer an opportunity to reduce smoking-related illness."
Hopefully, the new NASEM report will help to elucidate this complex issue. Here are some of its conclusions, grouped by how strong the evidence is that supports them. The strength of the evidence ranges from "conclusive" — which is the strongest — to "insufficient" or "no evidence."
E-cigarettes, nicotine, and cancer
The report found conclusive evidence that the vast majority of e-cigarettes contain a wide variety of substances that are potentially toxic.
However, the report also found "conclusive evidence that completely substituting e-cigarettes for combustible tobacco cigarettes reduces users' exposure to numerous toxicants and carcinogens present in combustible tobacco cigarettes."
In terms of nicotine intake, the report uncovers "substantial evidence" that nicotine exposure from e-cigarettes "among experienced adult e-cigarette users can be comparable to that from combustible tobacco cigarettes."
This study suggests that e-cigarettes can cause embryonic defects.
There is also substantial evidence that "heart rate increases after nicotine intake from e-cigarettes," and that "some chemicals present in e-cigarette aerosols (e.g., formaldehyde, acrolein) are capable of causing DNA damage and mutagenesis."
This is important because we can plausibly infer from this that long-term use of e-cigarettes could raise the risk of cancer, write the authors of the report. In fact, the report refers to animal studies that used intermediate biomarkers of cancer and whose results supported this hypothesis.
However, the authors also emphasize that these studies only amount to a level of "limited evidence," and that "[w]hether or not the levels of exposure are high enough to contribute to human carcinogenesis remains to be determined."
Additionally, "[t]here is no available evidence whether or not e-cigarette use is associated with intermediate cancer endpoints in humans," the report says.
Respiratory and developmental effects
"There is no available evidence whether or not e-cigarettes cause respiratory diseases in humans," the report concludes.
But the in-depth analysis of existing studies also found moderate evidence that e-cigarettes may lead to increased coughing and wheezing in teenagers, as well as an increase in asthma exacerbations.
The effects on adult users may differ slightly, however. The report found "limited evidence for improvement in lung function and respiratory symptoms among adult smokers with asthma who switch to e-cigarettes completely or in part."
Limited evidence was also found "for reduction of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations among adult smokers with COPD who switch to e-cigarettes completely or in part."
In terms of pregnancy and developmental effects, the report found "no available evidence whether or not e-cigarettes affect pregnancy outcomes," and "insufficient evidence whether or not maternal e-cigarette use affects fetal development."
The report mentions that more research is needed to fully understand if and under what circumstances e-cigarettes can help adults to quit smoking, and it states that the use of e-cigarettes should be discouraged among teens by restricting access and through educational and public awareness campaigns.
You can read the full list of conclusions here.
Why would I trust any of this?
Just bite the bullet and quit all nicotine products cold turkey and never take any again. Tough at first but by far the most effective method.
Why would I trust any of this?
><
I agree.
You have now. I used eCigs for a year and stepped down my nicotine level over that time to the point that I was able to quit nicotine with minimal withdrawal symptoms. eCigs absolutely helped me break a 20 year tobacco addiction.
Good for you!
I attend an outreach church with an adjunct program for addiction and compulsive behaviors.
I have actually seen these things help a lot used in conjunction with other efforts.
I quit using an e-cig.
they are just an even more expensive alternative.
Maybe if you're smoking only a few cigarettes a week. In my case (almost a pack a day), it was *much* cheaper.
I quit smoking cigarettes totally and completely after trying my first e-cig on November 9, 2009. Never smoked an analog cigarette again. Ever
Where I live, a pack of cigarettes costs about $9.00.
E-cigs are a bargain by comparison.
I quit using them and they are far less expensive not more expensive.
I haven’t seen anyone actually quit using these,
they are just an even more expensive alternative.
><><
You don’t know what you’re talking about.
Right on!
"some chemicals present in e-cigarette aerosols (e.g., formaldehyde, acrolein) are capable of causing DNA damage and mutagenesis."
Formaldehyde is definitely a carcinogen.
OTOH, smoking marijuana is good for you. /s
It is but its never produced during normal vaping. if a machine is sucking in vapor to analyse it, it can easily burn the wick and produce formaldehyde, a person would taste that and change the wick or coil.
I smoked for 30 years and quit overnight with an ecig.
In May, it’ll be ten years without a cig.
I quit a 2 pack a day habit the minute I switched. It’s much cheaper and the nasty smell of cigarettes goes away.
I started with a relatively high dose of nicotine and reduced it every time I bought more.
The congestion in my lungs went away and no more coughing.
I wouldn’t recommend starting, but if someone wanted to quit cigs it’s actually a good way to go.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.