February 4, 2017
While e-cigarette advocates keep stressing the widely-accepted fact that e-cigarettes deliver lower levels of most cancer-causing chemicals, they remain silent on the growing and quite consistent evidence that e-cigarette use increases the risk of cardiovascular (and non-cancer lung) disease.
The latest contribution to this literature is “Increased Cardiac Sympathetic Activity and Oxidative Stress in Habitual Electronic Cigarette Users: Implications for Cardiovascular Risk” by Roya S. Moheimani and colleagues at UCLA in JAMA Cardiology. This paper examined heart rhythms and oxidative loads in chronic e-cigarette only users. They found reduced heart rate variability, the variation in the time between heart beats. Reductions in heart rate variability are a well-established predictor of future heart attacks.
They also found increases in oxidized LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol which increases the risk of atherosclerosis. This increased oxidant load is also tied to reductions in normal function of arteries, an effect previously shown in cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users.
February 4, 2017
While e-cigarette advocates keep stressing the widely-accepted fact that e-cigarettes deliver lower levels of most cancer-causing chemicals, they remain silent on the growing and quite consistent evidence that e-cigarette use increases the risk of cardiovascular (and non-cancer lung) disease.
The latest contribution to this literature is “Increased Cardiac Sympathetic Activity and Oxidative Stress in Habitual Electronic Cigarette Users: Implications for Cardiovascular Risk” by Roya S. Moheimani and colleagues at UCLA in JAMA Cardiology. This paper examined heart rhythms and oxidative loads in chronic e-cigarette only users. They found reduced heart rate variability, the variation in the time between heart beats. Reductions in heart rate variability are a well-established predictor of future heart attacks.
They also found increases in oxidized LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol which increases the risk of atherosclerosis. This increased oxidant load is also tied to reductions in normal function of arteries, an effect previously shown in cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users.
February 4, 2017
While e-cigarette advocates keep stressing the widely-accepted fact that e-cigarettes deliver lower levels of most cancer-causing chemicals, they remain silent on the growing and quite consistent evidence that e-cigarette use increases the risk of cardiovascular (and non-cancer lung) disease.
The latest contribution to this literature is “Increased Cardiac Sympathetic Activity and Oxidative Stress in Habitual Electronic Cigarette Users: Implications for Cardiovascular Risk” by Roya S. Moheimani and colleagues at UCLA in JAMA Cardiology. This paper examined heart rhythms and oxidative loads in chronic e-cigarette only users. They found reduced heart rate variability, the variation in the time between heart beats. Reductions in heart rate variability are a well-established predictor of future heart attacks.
They also found increases in oxidized LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol which increases the risk of atherosclerosis. This increased oxidant load is also tied to reductions in normal function of arteries, an effect previously shown in cigarette smokers and e-cigarette users.
January 30, 2017
Amanda Fallin-Bennett, Maria Roditis, and I just published “The carrot and the stick? Strategies to improve compliance with college campus tobacco policies” in Journal of American College Health. The title sums up the whole paper pretty well.
Here is the abstract:
Objective: Tobacco-free policies are being rapidly adopted nationwide, yet compliance with these policies remains a challenge. This study explored college campus key informants’ experiences with tobacco policies, and their perceived benefits, drawbacks, and outcomes.
Participants: The sample for this study was 68 key informants representing 16 different California universities with varying tobacco policies (no smoking indoors and within 20 feet of entrances, designated smoking areas, 100% smoke-free, and 100% tobacco-free).
Methods: Qualitative, descriptive study. Semistructured interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using content analysis.