With the e-cigarettes surging in popularity across the United States, it raises the question about their impact on cardiovascular health, particularly vascular function. A pioneering study aimed to fill this knowledge gap by investigating how regular e-cigarette use affects vascular health in young, seemingly healthy adults.

Twenty-one regular e-cigarette users and an equal number of non-users participated in the study, published in the journal Angiogenesis, undergoing comprehensive assessments of their vascular health at VCU’s Vascular and Integrative Physiology Laboratory. The results revealed a troubling trend: regular e-cigarette users displayed signs of premature microvascular impairment compared to non-users. Specifically, e-cigarette users exhibited lower responses in key indicators of vascular function, such as hyperemic and thermal responses, as well as endothelium-dependent vasodilation.

Further analysis uncovered systemic manifestations among those who had used e-cigarettes for more than three years. These individuals showed significant reductions in both macrovascular and microvascular function, painting a grim picture of overall vascular health deterioration.

In essence, the study’s findings associate regular e-cigarette use with premature vascular dysfunction and adverse cardiovascular outcomes in young adults. This novel data underscores the importance of understanding the potential risks associated with e-cigarette use, particularly concerning vascular health, and highlights the need for further research to inform public health policy and interventions.

E-cigarettes are not healthier alternatives to real cigarettes. They’re also bad for you. If you care about your health, just stop smoking. There is nothing you can smoke that will be considered benign or healthy, so just stop!

C Matheson et al. Evidence of premature vascular dysfunction in young adults who regularly use e-cigarettes and the impact of usage length. Angiogenesis (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10456-023-09903-7