New research by the University of Dundee, funded by the British Heart Foundation, suggests that making the switch from smoking to vaping could dramatically improve heart health in just 4 weeks.
About the study
The study involved 114 participants, all of whom had previously been smoking at least 15 cigarettes a day for 2 years, and had no existing cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
40 of the participants were unwilling to give up smoking, but agreed not to use an e-cigarette for the duration of the trial and continue with their usual smoking habits. The remaining participants stopped smoking in favour of using an e-cigarette, 37 were given a nicotine containing e-liquid and the other 37 were given a nicotine free e-liquid.
The researchers main focus was to measure the change in dilation of the brachial artery in the arm before and after the 4-week trial, but they also measured the heart rate, and blood levels of cholesterol and inflammatory markers.
There was no identifiable difference in blood markers, and the heart rate changes were considered to be mainly influenced by how much the participant had been smoking to start with. However, both of the groups using an e-cigarette had a significant increase in the dilation of the brachial artery in response to increased blood flow.
What does this mean?
Measuring dilation of the artery is a widely recognised way to identify the risk of cardiovascular issues in a patient. The increase in dilation measured in the participants using e-cigarettes indicates a decrease in their risk of heart complications.
Although the dilations were not yet the same as those of a healthy non-smoker, the trial was only short term and to see this kind of increase in only 4 weeks is extremely promising.
While it cannot be said for certain that the results were directly linked to the use of an e-cigarette, and not just the discontinuation of smoking, it is evidence of how quickly heart health can improve when a person is no longer smoking cigarettes.
Whether these results would be recorded in those using other smoking cessation options such as nicotine gum or patches is unclear, and further trials would be needed. However, we do know that e-cigarettes are the most effective stop smoking aid currently available, and they are becoming more and more popular. This research provides evidence that the millions of people in the UK who have made the switch from smoking to vaping have made a change which will improve the health of their heart and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes.
These results are extremely good news, especially when you consider that around 50 people die every day due to smoking related heart problems. The British Heart Foundation have stated that;
“Stopping smoking is the single best thing you can do for your heart health.”
Professor John Britton, director of the UK centre for tobacco and alcohol studies at the University of Nottingham, weighed in on the promising research, saying;
"This randomised trial provides clear evidence of a reduction in a marker of cardiovascular disease risk in people who switch from smoking to vaping.”
At a time when vaping has been getting so much media attention, it is fantastic to see such promising research, letting vapers see the true difference that making the switch can do to their heart health.
Links -
https://www.nhs.uk/news/heart-and-lungs/smokers-who-switch-vaping-could-soon-have-healthier-hearts/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-50436296
https://www.onlinejacc.org/content/early/2019/11/12/j.jacc.2019.09.067
