E-cigarettes are generally considered a better and safer alternative to conventional cigarette smoking but this widely held belief is a misconception. Smoking e-cigarette may damage the DNA in the oral cells of users, potentially increasing the risk of cancer.
These handheld electronic devices that heat liquid nicotine and convert it into an aerosol that users breathe in were introduced to the market in 2004. Nicotine liquid comes in different flavours like fruit, chocolate, candy and mint which is appealing to youth.
The popularity of these little electronic devices continue to grow but its long-term effects on body are more or less unknown to its users.
It’s accepted by researchers that regular cigarettes produce more carcinogens but the impact of inhaling the combination of compounds produced by e-cigarettes is really unknown. Just because the threats are different doesn’t mean that e-cigarettes are safe.
To know about chemical exposures during vaping, researchers enlisted five e-cigarette users. They obtained saliva samples before and after a 15-minute inhaling session and analyzed the samples for chemicals that are known to damage DNA. To evaluate possible long-term effects of e-cigarette’s smoke inhalation, the team evaluated DNA alteration in the cells of the volunteers’ mouths.
The researchers used mass-spectrometry-based techniques they had developed earlier for a different study in which they assessed oral DNA change caused by alcohol intake. Researchers identified three DNA-damaging compounds, formaldehyde, acrolein and methylglyoxal, whose levels increased in the saliva after inhaling smoke from E-cigarette.
Compared with people who do not smoke, 4 of the 5 e-cigarette users showed greater DNA damage related to acrolein exposure. The type of damage, called a DNA adduct, occurs when toxic chemicals, such as acrolein, react with DNA. If the cell does not repair the damage so that normal DNA replication can take place, cancer could happen. The researchers plan to follow up this initial study with a larger one involving more e-cigarette users and controls.
They also want to see how the level of DNA adducts varies between e-cigarette users and regular cigarette smokers. Researchers still don’t know exactly what these e-cigarette devices are doing and what kinds of effects they may have on health, but findings suggest that a closer look is necessary.
Smoking, be it conventional cigarettes or e-cigarettes is injurious to health and the best way to go about is to quit smoking once and for all. If you are addicted to smoking, we can help you. We have tobacco cessation experts at our clinic to help you lead a healthy life.
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