For a long time, science has proven that smoking increases the risk of arrhythmias, a major cause of cardiovascular disease and various other serious illnesses. With the advent of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products (which use electronic devices with heating elements combined with tobacco), many people have switched to these alternatives, thinking they are less harmful than traditional cigarettes.
But the reality is not as we might think.
According to a study conducted by a research group at the University of California, San Francisco, the harmful effects of e-cigarettes and cannabis on the heart are similar to those of traditional cigarettes.
E-cigarettes and cannabis significantly interfere with neural regulation.
“We found that tobacco, e-cigarettes, and cannabis significantly interfere with neural regulation, the structure, and electrical activity of the heart,” said Huiliang Qiu, a postdoctoral fellow in the UCSF cardiology department and leader of the research team. “Generally, a single change can lead to arrhythmias. Unfortunately, in this case, adverse effects impact the entire heart.”
Experiment on Mice
The heart must pump blood efficiently and at the right timing for the body to function normally. It has its own cardiac electrical control system and can transmit electrical impulses through the heart muscle while accurately determining the timing of each pump.
When the heart cannot process electrical signals accurately, arrhythmias can occur, potentially leading to fatal outcomes, as parts of the heart may no longer function synchronously and essentially work against each other instead of acting as a single pump.
Smoking increases the risk of arrhythmias.
The research team used mice to conduct an 8-week experiment. They exposed the mice to the smoke of Marlboro Red cigarettes, followed by smoke from the popular JUUL e-cigarette, aerosol from the IQOS heated tobacco product, cannabis smoke, and smoke from cannabis that had all cannabinoids (the addictive substances) removed, which is equivalent to air.
The mice were exposed to clean air every 5 seconds while inhaling tobacco smoke or aerosol for a total of 5 minutes. This process was conducted once a day, 5 days a week for a total of 8 weeks. Observations showed that the mice exposed only to tobacco smoke had a significant decrease in heart function along with an increase in blood pressure.
All Products Have Similar Effects
After 8 weeks, the research team conducted various tests on the mice to determine the electrical and physical characteristics of their hearts.
Heated tobacco
The final results showed that all tested products caused scarring to the heart, reduced the number of blood vessels, negatively affected nerve fibers in the heart, impaired the ability to change heart rate, and increased the risk of cardiovascular problems.
“What is truly shocking is that these consequences appeared with just one use of vape or tobacco each day,” said senior author Matthew Springer, M.D., a cardiology professor at UCSF. “Although mice are a good experimental model to observe potential effects on human hearts, there are still significant differences. We cannot draw final conclusions about the impact on humans solely from studies with mice.”
However, he also stated that the study’s results align with various reports on cardiovascular issues in groups using e-cigarettes or cannabis. “The key takeaway here is that e-cigarettes, IQOS, and cannabis all pose significant health risks to cardiovascular health. None of the products tested can be considered a harmless alternative to traditional cigarettes. Clean air is likely the best alternative available today,” Springer noted.
