In recent years, the knowledge of how dangerous cigarettes are to your health has caused an increase in the use of e-cigarettes and vaporizers.
These e-cigarettes and vaporizers have also been used by some as a method to kick the habit.
But, a UCLA study released in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests these e-cigarettes, notably those with liquid containing nicotine, may be just as harmful to your heart as the real deal.
"I was a smoker for 24 years, and I quit right away with nicotine e-liquid," said Jami Rakes, general manager of Indy Vapor Shop in Indianapolis.
Rakes said she has been able to wean herself off of nicotine, ever since using e-cigs.
“I started with like 24 mg nicotine, and after a couple months I went down to 12 mg, and just kept going down every few months. Now, I’m down to like 1.5 mg of nicotine,” said Rakes.
The UCLA study took a group of 33 non-smokers, and had them use e-cigs either with or without nicotine for 12 weeks.
"The people that had the e-cigarettes with nicotine actually had a significant variability in their heart rate, which is a surrogate marker for what we call increased sympathetic activity, which can be a stress on the cardiovascular system," said Dr. Ashwin Ravichandran, a cardiologist at St. Vincent Heart Center.
The findings of the study, according to Dr. Ravichandran, are alarming.
"What we don't know about e-cigarettes is that potential harm that we just discussed that can increase and stress the cardiovascular system, as well as what is in the residue that might be built up in these devices that we use to smoke,” said Dr. Ravichandran.
The General Manager of Indy Vapor Shop, Jami Rakes, said she's seen an increase in customers in recent times.
"We probably have somewhere between 10 and 15 new clients come in each day to come in and stop smoking cigarettes," said Rakes.
The most popular item bought is a starter kit with nicotine liquid.
"Nicotine is a non-carcinogen. So, it does not cause cancer, it's a stimulant just like caffeine or soda,” said Kyle Estep, who is Rakes’ son, and also works at the Indy Vapor Shop.
However, Dr. Ravichandran isn’t convinced e-cigs are safer, especially given the findings of the study.
"With smoking we know this heart variability exists, so really, is there any major difference? The dogma in the past is that it's the tar that kills you from the cigarettes and not the actual nicotine, but that may not be the case," said Dr. Ravichandran.
Though quitting smoking does happen with e-cigs, the uncertainty of effects for the long-haul remain hazy.
"We just don't know, there's no data on it,” said Dr. Ravichandran.
He added, “One of the things about these studies is that they often raise more questions than give us the answers. So, what I think we need is more studies, and probably more longitudinal follow-up from people who have been using them for a long time. And try to find out, is there some implication for long-term use that would affect cardiovascular health, we just simply don’t know that right now.”
Dr. Ravichandran said he typically recommends his patients to use patches or gums that have been around for a while to wean off of smoking. He said he also recommends various medication options that are able to be prescribed through his office or through a primary care doctor.
