Study says e-cigarettes may lead to cancer and heart disease


Regulators may have had a change of heart about the danger of using e-cigarettes, but scientists would beg to differ. A newly published New York University School of Medicine study indicates that vaping may put you at a "higher risk" of cancer and heart disease. Mice subjected to the equivalent of "light" e-cigarette smoking for 10 years (12 weeks in reality) suffered DNA damage to their bladders, hearts and lungs, in addition to limiting both DNA repair and lung proteins. In short: nicotine can become a carcinogen in your body regardless of how it's transmitted.

The study isn't completely shocking when researchers have identified other harmful chemicals. And it's not conclusive, either. While the testing shows that e-cigarettes are harmful, the highly compressed smoking exposure is far from what you'd see in real life -- tumors don't grow that quickly. You may not see more definitive results until additional animal testing in a year, and much longer than that for humans. Study author Moon-shong Tang also noted to Bloomberg that it's not clear whether conventional cigarettes or e-cigarettes would be more harmful.

Still, the data casts doubt on the often-repeated claims that vaping is a safer alternative to cigarettes. While there have been studies suggesting that e-cigs are probably less harmful, this indicates that you're still facing some of the same dangers. Any 'safety' may come from the level of exposure. The findings also support bids to regulate e-cigarettes based on their tobacco-like effects, such as the FDA's former approach.

Via: Bloomberg

Source: PNAS

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