How dangerous IS vaping compared to smoking? New review analyzes the dangers of both…. and finds former is linked to EIGHT lung diseases

Vaping is a much safer alternative to cigarettes, but will increase the risk of eight lung diseases, according to a major review.

Concerns about e-cigarettes have led to bans in at least 34 countries, with the United Kingdom being the latest to impose restrictions last month, eliminating the sale of disposable vaporizers such as Juuls and Elf Bars.

But even though many of these countries still sell cigarettes, including Britain, research shows that vaping is much less harmful and causes less serious health effects.

Experts in Germany analyzed more than 600 studies, although they focused on 11, on the effects of using traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes to determine how they compare.

They found that e-cigarettes were linked to eight lung conditions: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchitis, various forms of pneumonia and popcorn lung, or damage to the small airways of the lungs.

While some of these conditions can be fatal in extreme cases, they are not always life-threatening.

Meanwhile, smoking has long been associated with deadly diseases such as lung cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke, for which survival rates are much lower.

The researchers also wrote that e-cigarettes “reduced exposure to harmful toxins compared to traditional cigarettes,” and studies show that the typical e-cigarette contains 2,000 chemicals compared to more than 7,000 in traditional cigarettes.

They also found in their review that vaporizers contained less nicotine per puff than cigarettes, which could make them less addictive and therefore harmful because the user uses them less frequently.

Dr Michael Steinberg, director of the Tobacco Dependence Program at Rutgers University, who was not involved in the study, told DailyMail.com: “At this point, to the best of our knowledge, the evidence is pretty indisputable that cigarettes electronic cigarettes are significantly less harmful than burnt tobacco. products.”

‘Although it varies depending on many factors, the risk of some diseases is very small, such as COPD. However, some health effects could still occur in some diseases, such as asthma and cardiovascular diseases.’

Dr Panagis Galiatsatos, director of the Tobacco Treatment Clinic at Johns Hopkins University, told DailyMail.com that “the results of vaping represent more acute problems” than chronic conditions.

However, he said it’s crucial to remember that “people who vape haven’t been doing it for decades yet,” meaning its true health harms may not be known for some time.

There has been some concern about the amount of toxic metals e-cigarettes release when the liquid is heated and turned into vapor.

Urine and blood tests have suggested that e-cigarette users have levels of lead and arsenic in their bodies that, over time, can lead to health problems.

Long-term use of arsenic has been linked to cancer and skin lesions, while lead has been linked to brain damage, organ failure and seizures.

The German team, from Herdecke University, called for more research and long-term legislation to prevent youth from vaping, as more than two million children, as young as high school, report using vapes and half of students using them. They try it and become addicted.

“E-cigarettes have reduced exposure to harmful toxins compared to traditional cigarettes,” the researchers wrote.

‘However, concerns remain regarding respiratory irritation and potential health risks, especially among young people, emphasizing the need for comprehensive, long-term research and protective legislation.

“The results of carefully examined studies revealed less harmful effects of e-cigarettes for users, which has not yet been scientifically proven.”

The research team evaluated 648 studies conducted from 2000 to June 2023. However, they mainly focused on 11.

“The studies reviewed consistently suggest that e-cigarettes may offer a less harmful alternative for adult smokers who are unable or unwilling to quit,” they said.

“The reduction of harmful toxic substances generated by e-cigarettes compared to the wide range of harmful substances produced by burning tobacco is a promising aspect of harm reduction.”

They determined that e-cigarettes tend to contain fewer harmful toxins than traditional cigarettes, reducing the amount of carcinogenic substances they produce.

Additionally, researchers noted that vaporizers contain less nicotine, reducing the likelihood of users becoming addicted.

“For tobacco smokers who want to quit, e-cigarette substitutes have less nicotine, leading to potentially lower health risks,” they wrote.

However, the team also linked vaping to several chronic conditions, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and EVALI, which stands for “use of electronic cigarettes or vaping products associated with lung injury.”

The exact cause of the injury is still not completely clear, but researchers have since focused on the compound vitamin E acetate, which is often used as a thickening agent in illegal cannabis vaping devices.

There is no test to determine if someone has EVALI, so the diagnosis is based on symptoms, which include difficulty breathing, fever, chills, cough, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, dizziness, rapid heart rate, and pain in the head. the chest, according to the American Lung Association (ALA).

EVALI has caused some heartbreaking health problems. A 34-year-old woman from Ohio, who consumed about eight cartridges of vaping liquid each week, the equivalent of 50 cigarettes a day, found herself on life support within 24 hours of going to urgent care for breathing problems.

In another terrifying case, a 20-year-old woman from the United Kingdom named Abby Flynn developed a rare lung disease, called “popcorn lung,” that doctors warned could have left her dependent on an oxygen machine before she turned 30. .

In the new study, vaping was also associated with bronchitis, pneumonia and worsening asthma.

‘Electronic cigarettes can damage the respiratory tract. May cause respiratory tract irritation. The symptoms that occur are cough and wheezing,” the researchers wrote.

“However, the severity of the consequences seems to be less noticeable than with regular cigarettes.”

The researchers also noted that vaping could encourage young people to take up smoking due to a variety of flavors and marketing practices.

“Attractive flavors, innovative marketing and ease of access have raised concerns that e-cigarettes could entice non-smokers, including teenagers, to take up vaping and subsequently switch to smoking traditional cigarettes,” they said.

“Therefore, effective regulations and measures to prevent youth initiation of e-cigarettes are crucial to realizing the potential harm reduction benefits of e-cigarettes.”

A 2023 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), for example, found that about 2.1 million children currently use e-cigarettes. And about half of them become addicted.

And a World Health Organization (WHO) report claimed that more 13- to 15-year-olds use vapes than adults in all WHO regions, helped by aggressive marketing. This led the agency to call for a global ban on all flavored vaporizers.

Dr. Steinberg, however, said that “we do not consider ‘banning’ flavored e-cigarettes while continuing to allow flavored burnt tobacco products,” such as menthol cigarettes and flavored cigars, to remain on the market.

Researchers in the new study noted that more long-term research is needed to truly understand the effects of vaping.

‘The health effects of smoking e-cigarettes have not been very well researched until now. “More controlled and protective cohort studies are needed to uncover the health risks of e-cigarettes,” they wrote.

The study was published Tuesday in the journal. Food and chemical toxicology.