- The latest research by the American Heart Association shows that nine vape juice flavors can harm blood vessels.
- The flavors of e-cigarettes were tested on endothelial cell lines that line blood vessels and the inside of the heart.
- The nine flavor options, including vanilla with burnt taste cinnamon, clove, banana, strawberry, and hot cooling, were a danger even in low concentrations.
Suppose you’re a smoker or an electronic cigarette user. In that case, you probably prefer to vape over smoking cigarettes because you believe it’s better for your health than a product that contains nicotine and tobacco. But the truth is that…e-cigs could be harmful to your heart, as well. This is especially true when vape juice flavorings are included. (Sorry, unicorn milk, beetle juice, and lemon twist enthusiasts.)
The announcement originates from a research study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. The study discovered that all Vape juice flavorings tested may affect blood vessel function. This is an early sign of heart disease.
Well, shit. What flavors of vape juice are a risk?
Nine flavorings with chemical compounds were evaluated for their impacts on endothelial cells (a.k.a. these cells line blood vessels and the inside of the heart), According to a declaration by the American Heart Association.
After exposure to cells for only 90 minutes, they will taste the nine flavors that were tested: menthol (mint) as well, Acetylpyridine (burnt flavor), vanillin (vanilla) and cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon), and Eugenol (clove), diacetyl (butter), dimethylhydrazine (strawberry) isoamyl-acetate (banana) and also eucalyptol (spicy cooling)–were hazardous to epithelial cells, and could cause cells to die when used at maximum amounts.
Certain specific flavors – cinnamon clove, cinnamon, strawberry banana, and spicy cooling- also caused cell death in lower amounts. Based on the research, strawberry flavoring has the most negative effect on epithelial cells.
Each of the nine vape flavor combinations also slowed the production of nitric oxide, which lets blood vessels expand to allow blood to flow through them when used at their highest levels. Vanilla, cinnamon, clove, and burnt flavor, in particular, caused increased levels of interleukin-6, an inflammatory marker, and decreased levels of nitric oxide even when used at moderate levels.
“Increased inflammation and a loss of nitric oxide are some of the first changes to occur leading up to cardiovascular disease and events like heart attacks and stroke, so they are considered early predictors of heart disease,” the lead study’s researcher Jessica L. Fetterman, Ph.D. stated in an announcement. “Our findings suggest that these flavoring additives may have serious health consequences.”
What else do I need to be aware of regarding this study?
This was a one-time study of what are human cells inside Petri dishes. Therefore, more research is required to establish that e-cigarettes harm your heart (previous research on the long-term effects of eg-cigs was missing).
The high levels used in the research are “unlikely to be achieved” in real life, as per the study. As per the American Heart Association, the lower classes tend to be closer to the IRL scenario.
However, that doesn’t mean that these findings are not significant. Even though some of the most popular vape juice flavors, like unicorn milk, beetle juice, and a lemon twist -were not explicitly tested, this doesn’t mean they’re unsafe (especially because every taste researchers tested was connected to some degree or risk).
Perhaps it’s time to reconsider smoking e-cigarettes as a good alternative to other kinds of cigarettes. With all the caveats, this research is very alarming.
