Some of the ingredients in e-cigarettes have the same or even worse effects on the heart than regular cigarettes.

Researchers from the Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute at the University of Louisville have found in a new study that exposing animal models to the aerosols from e-cigarettes can cause heart arrhythmias, both in the form of premature and skipped heart beats.

The results of the study, which were published today in Nature Communications, suggest that certain chemicals in e-cigarette liquids (e-liquids) may cause irregular heartbeats and electrical problems in the heart.

The findings of the study, as explained by lead author Alex Carll, “demonstrate that short-term exposure to e-cigarettes can destabilize heart rhythm through specific chemicals within e-liquids.

These results suggest that using e-cigarettes with certain flavors or solvents may disrupt the electrical conduction of the heart and cause arrhythmias.

These effects could potentially increase the risk for atrial or ventricular fibrillation, as well as sudden cardiac arrest.

In the study, the team evaluated inhaled e-cigarette aerosols from nicotine-free propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin or flavored retail e-liquids containing nicotine.

They discovered that the animals’ heart rates slowed during puff exposures and then increased when heart rate variability decreased, demonstrating fight-or-flight stress responses for all e-cigarette aerosols.

Furthermore, e-cigarette puffs from menthol-flavored e-liquid or propylene glycol alone produced ventricular arrhythmias and other cardiac conduction anomalies.

This work was done in collaboration with Daniel Conklin and Aruni Bhatnagar, professors in the UofL Division of Environmental Medicine. It adds to the growing body of research on the potential toxicity and health effects of e-cigarettes reported by the American Heart Association Tobacco Regulation and Addiction Center, for which UofL is the flagship institute.

“The findings of this study are important because they provide fresh evidence that the use of e-cigarettes could interfere with normal heart rhythms — something we did not know before,” Bhatnagar added. “This is highly concerning given the rapid growth of e-cigarette use, particularly among young people.”

The benefits and risks of vaping have been discussed as e-cigarette use has increased across the country. In comparison to smoking cigarettes, vaping exposes users and bystanders to significantly less carbon monoxide, tar, and cancer-causing nitrosamines because it doesn’t involve combustion.

E-cigarettes, however, can deliver nicotine, aldehydes, and particulates at amounts that are comparable to those of combustible cigarettes. The attractiveness and addictiveness of e-cigarettes may tempt youngsters to vape despite uncertain long-term dangers or to start smoking. Vaping may assist smokers quit combustible cigarettes.

Before the pandemic, more than 25% of high schoolers and 10% of middle schoolers in the U.S. said they used e-cigarettes.

“Our team’s findings that specific ingredients in e-cigarette liquids promote arrhythmias indicates there is an urgent need for more research into the cardiac effects of these components in both animals and humans,” Carll added.

Source: 10.1038/s41467-022-33203-1

Image Credit: Getty

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