VapeClubMYOver the years, the popularity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has increased. While the effects of smoking are generally well known, much is left to uncover on the effects of vaping.
Mike Stickland, professor of pulmonary medicine at the University of Alberta, conducted a study looking at the effects of vaping on the human body.
Young adults show reduced exercise tolerance and increased breathlessness
“The devices were marketed and accepted by Health Canada as a harm reduction strategy,” he said.
The consequence: vaping became popular among youth and was labelled a safe way to consume nicotine.
Stickland examined the effects of vaping on 23-year-old participants and used a comparison group of people of the same age and sex who never vaped. The participants in the experimental group had also never consumed cannabis or smoked traditional cigarettes.
There were no differences in lung function between the two groups. But the exercise test uncovered important changes.
“We saw that the people who consumed electronic cigarettes had lower exercise tolerance.” This means that those who vaped got tired sooner during physical activity, and couldn’t exercise as long.
The 23-year-old participants experienced breathlessness when walking at a normal slower pace for about a mile. “So that was very surprising,” said Stickland.
Breathing patterns in the e-cigarette user group showed results that are consistent with what had been observed in more advanced lung disease.
“The lungs didn’t really fill with blood very well,” he explained. “They were filling at the rate that we’d seen like a 60-year-old person.” Because the lungs do not fully mature until about age 25, early exposure to e-cigarettes may restrict their growth and development.
Accelerated decline in lung function is also a possibility.
Damage happens in the blood vessels before it happens in the airways, and it is very suggestive of the type of lung damage seen with smoking traditional cigarettes.
“We do have some studies planned to better look at changes in the blood flow.”
How does vaping compare to smoking?
Even though Stickland’s study does not show direct comparisons between smoking and vaping, it is clear that e-cigarettes are not safe.
“I don’t know if either of them are any better or any worse,” said Stickland. “They seem to be very similar.”
The participants who vaped only had three years of exposure to e-cigarettes and already displayed damage that is typically seen after about 10 years of traditional cigarette exposure, he noted. This suggests that changes in the body can happen earlier with less exposure to e-cigarettes.
Currently, Stickland is recruiting for a national study comparing changes over time when looking at smoking, vaping, and cannabis use. “We really don’t understand well what [e-cigarettes] do to the lungs, the heart, and other parts of the body.” He said. With future research, he hopes to eliminate that knowledge gap.
