The study was conducted by Professor Polosa, director of the Institute of Internal Medicine and the Smoking Cessation Center at the University of Catania. He received the INNCO Global Award in June.
Preliminary evidence that long-term vaping does not cause health effects
Professor Riccardo Polosa's team followed a group of young people who had never smoked but regularly used e-cigarettes . The volunteers were followed and tested for three and a half years, and their results were compared with a group of people who did not use these two types of products.
“We did not see any decline in lung function, signs of pneumonia, or lesions on HRCT when compared to a group of non-smokers who did not use e-cigarettes,” the researchers said. Even the most frequent users showed no signs of lung injury or inflammation, and no changes in blood pressure or heart rate were detected, the researchers noted.
Professor Polosa's explanation of arteriosclerosis
These findings provide answers to the question of hardening of the arteries for medical professionals. A study presented at the European Respiratory Society meeting held in September 2017 in Milan, Italy, showed that vaping can increase body mass index and cause temporary hardening of the arteries.
In response to the above question, Professor Peter Hajeck, Director of Tobacco Research at Queen Mary University of London, showed that there are other activities that have the same effect on the body without any harm. “This is the usual stimulating effect of nicotine and is completely harmless. Drinking a cup of coffee has the same effect.”
Larger scale studies are needed
Professor Polosa’s study, published in the journal Science, found that although the study was small, “the results provide preliminary evidence that long-term e-cigarette use does not have adverse health effects.” However, the team also said that more in-depth studies on a larger scale are needed.
