Increased risk of disease in men who vape

Man smoking with vape

New research suggests that young adults, especially men, who vape are at greater risk of developing heart disease later in life. The conclusion comes from two Canadian studies that examined the effects of vaping on the lungs and heart of young adults. 

Investigators from the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) and the Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research (LDI) exposed mouse models to e-cigarette (vape) aerosols containing nicotine and various chemicals. According to the MUHC news release, Canada has one of the highest vaping rates in the world among adolescents.

The first study, published in BMJ Open Respiratory Research, found that e-cigarettes, even if used for a short period of time, cause significant changes in the lungs. According to senior author Carolyn Baglole, PhD, vaping can prevent a person’s body from developing and functioning properly.

“In this study, we observed modifications in metabolism, detoxification and lipid signaling pathways, some of which are associated with the development of heart disease,” said Dr. Baglole, a scientist in the Translational Research in Respiratory Diseases Program at RI-MUHC.

Dr. Baglole was also senior author of the second study, published in the journal Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology.In it, she and the researchers detected the development of atherosclerosis — a phenomenon that can lead to heart attacks — in mice that received long-term daily exposure to tobacco-flavored vape products. 

In comparison to tobacco smoke, the e-cigarette aerosols produced minimal inflammation in the lungs and body. However, they did cause increased levels of lipids (fats) and an accumulation of plaque in the blood vessels and heart in male mice. 

“As expected, in our experiments, vaping did not cause lung inflammation, but it did have other important negative effects, including changes to processes deep within the lungs that may impact disease risk in a different way,” said Vincenza Caruana, a PhD student and first author of the second study.

Carolyn Baglole, PhD, and Vincenza CaruanaCarolyn Baglole, PhD, and Vincenza CaruanaMcGill University Health Centre“These are important findings as they suggest that vaping could increase your risk of cardiovascular problems like heart attack or stroke,” said co-senior author Koren Mann, PhD, a senior scientist at LDI and chair of the pharmacology and therapeutics department at McGill.

The corresponding studies included large-scale experiments that allowed the researchers to test numerous vaping products that are legal in Canada. The daily exposure levels and patterns applied to the mouse models mimicked typical adolescent usage. 

Dr. Baglole said more research is needed to understand why vaping disproportionately affects young men. She also said there should be more studies evaluating the impact of e-cigarettes and similar products, including disposable vapes, cannabis-based vapes and oral nicotine pouches.

“Due to their recent emergence, we lack data on the risks associated with vaping. Their dazzling popularity among young people should prompt us to investigate their long-term effects, and this is what we will continue to do,” Dr. Baglole said.

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