By Ebba Ritzen
A new study at Sheffield Hallam University investigating e-cigarettes’ effects on the blood vessels has found that they are as beneficial for the cardiovascular system as conventional nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) when stopping smoking.
It is estimated that there are 10 million cigarette smokers in the UK and 1.3 billion in the world. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death worldwide, with the majority of these deaths due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Around 78,000 people in the UK die from smoking each year.
Stopping smoking will reduce the risk of CVD, but even the best methods have high relapse rates of over 75% within a year.
The e-cigarette has already been embraced by the public and is considered to be the number one aid to stop smoking among those who want to quit. By 2020 they were being used by 27% of smokers attempting to quit, compared with 18% who used NRT. But although e-cigarettes have been found to help people smoke fewer cigarettes and appear to have a relatively small number of side effects, until now, little has been known about their effects on the heart and circulatory system and risk of developing CVD.
The research project, funded by Heart Research UK and led by Dr Klonizakis, involved 248 smokers who wanted to stop smoking and who were randomly divided into three groups. One group received nicotine-rich e-cigarettes, another nicotine-free e-cigarettes and the third received conventional NRT. All groups also received behavioural change support that NHS stop smoking services provide.
The main focus of the study was to find out how the three aids affect the cardiovascular system.
It was found that there were immediate, positive effects on the small arteries and veins, with no significant difference between the three groups, and these benefits were most pronounced in those who smoked more than 20 cigarettes per day.
The improvement in blood vessel health persisted both in the medium (three months after stopping smoking) and longer-term (six months after stopping) in all three groups, without any difference between the groups.
The results show that e-cigarettes offer similar benefits to blood vessel health compared to established stop smoking methods and reduce CVD risk. This will help smokers make an informed decision about which option to choose.
The research is also important because it may influence changes to the national ‘Stop Smoking’ strategy and the NICE guidelines on the use of e-cigarettes, and help to improve regulation of the e-cigarettes industry. The findings have recently been published in BMC Medicine.
Dr Klonizakis
Dr Markos Klonizakis said:
‘Vaping is used widely both as a stop smoking aid and a recreational tool, overtaking smoking. Although our work doesn’t suggest that it is safe for the general population, it confirms that vaping can benefit the arteries and small of veins of people wishing to stop smoking. This is a ground-breaking finding, complementing previous work in the field. Hopefully, our work can help people and policy makers make the right decisions, to support smoking cessation.’
Helen Wilson, Head of Research at Heart Research UK, said:
‘Stopping smoking is one of the best ways to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. E-cigarettes have become a very popular choice for people wanting to give up smoking but until now, little was known about their effects on the heart and blood vessels. This study provides important new evidence to help people make an informed decision about which aid to stop smoking they choose. We are proud to have funded this important study.’
