A new trial suggests smokers should switch to vaping for improved heart health.
Smokers who make the switch will notice that they have improved heart health in a matter of weeks.
The study, conducted by academics at the University of Dundee, found that vascular health improved in one just month.
Academics trialled 114 smokers over the age of 18 who had smoked 15 or more cigarettes a day for a minimum of two years.
Participants willing to give up smoking used an e-cigarette, with either 16mg of nicotine or no nicotine.
Those not willing to give up smoking continued to smoke as they normally would.
Researchers then measured individuals’ flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial artery.
Flow-mediated dilation refers to how much an artery widens when blood flow is increased.
The more an artery is able to widen, the healthier it is.
Smoking significantly decreases this ability, leading to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
This study shows that, after one month of e-cigarette use, participants’ FMD increased.
The nicotine content of e-cigarettes didn’t have an affect on the results.
The study’s authors say:
“Tobacco cigarette smokers, particularly females, demonstrate significant improvement in vascular health within one month of switching to e-cigarettes.”
They also point to the e-cigarette’s potential for harm reduction and say that the results show that switching to vaping “might result in overall benefit to public health.”
However, they stress that while e-cigarettes may be less harmful, there is no evidence they’re inherently safe and, therefore, should not be used by non-smokers.
