Researchers Say E-Cigarette Vapor Boosts Inflammation And Disables Protective Cells

Lots of people out there have moved from normal cigarette smoking to puffing on e-cigs or vaping as it's commonly known. The thought by many of these folks is that vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes. New research conducted by scientists at the University of Birmingham has found that e-liquid that is vaporized in an e-cigarette has a similar effect on the lungs and body as seen in normal cigarette smokers.

The effects of vaping are also said to mimic those seen in patients with chronic lung disease. The research was published in a medical journal called Thorax and found that vaping boosts the production of inflammatory chemicals and disables "key protective sells in the lungs" that are there to keep air spaces inside the lungs clear of any potentially harmful particles. The specific cells that are disabled are alveolar macrophages.

Those cells are designed to engulf and remove dust, bacteria, and allergens that have been able to escape other mechanical defenses in the respiratory tract. The researchers did admit that more study is needed to full determine health effects of vaping on humans. However, the early results show that vaping might be more harmful than thought.

One researcher points out that while studies have examined the effects of non-vaporized e-liquids, the vaporizing process changes the chemical composition of the liquid. This study used vaporized e-liquid making it a better reflection of what happens with the end user.

The study clearly states that vaporized e-cigarette fluid is toxic to living cells, inhibits cells key to the immune system, and increase inflammatory chemical production. One conclusion of the study is that the condensate was significantly more harmful to cells than the fluid itself and that effects worsened as the dose was increased.

SOURCE: University of Birmingham