Both smoking and vaping, even without nicotine, cause immediate decreases in blood flow and oxygen uptake, highlighting potential vascular risks.


RT’s Three Key Takeaways:

  1. Immediate Vascular Impairment from Smoking and Vaping: Both smoking and vaping, even without nicotine, significantly reduce blood flow velocity in the femoral artery and oxygen uptake, as shown by MRI evaluations, revealing acute effects on vascular function.
  2. Nicotine Worsens Vascular Effects: The greatest decrease in vascular function was observed after inhaling e-cigarettes with nicotine, though e-cigarettes without nicotine also showed detrimental effects.
  3. Potential Long-Term Risks: The study suggests that chronic vaping or smoking could lead to vascular disease, emphasizing the need for public health awareness and regulation of these products.

Researchers have identified acute effects of cigarette and e-cigarette smoking on vascular function, even without nicotine. The results of the ongoing research are being presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America.

E-cigarettes, also known as vapes, contain significantly fewer chemicals and toxins than are found in tobacco smoke. As a result, e-cigarettes are believed by many to be less harmful than cigarette smoking. Vapes also come in various flavors, making them popular among young people.

“E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking,” says study lead author Marianne Nabbout, MD, a radiology resident at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, in a release. “Some believe that e-cigarettes don’t contain any of the harmful products, such as free radicals, found in regular tobacco cigarettes because no combustion is involved.”

While vaping exposes users to fewer toxic chemicals than cigarettes, it can still be detrimental to vascular function and overall health.

Study Design: Assessing Immediate Vascular Impacts

In the study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, Nabbout and colleagues sought to identify the acute effects on vascular function of cigarette smoking and the immediate effects of e-cigarette vaping, with and without nicotine.

A total of 31 healthy smokers and vapers ranging in age from 21 to 49 years have been included to date. In three separate sessions, study participants underwent two MRI exams, one before and one after each of the following smoking/vaping episodes: tobacco cigarette, e-cigarette aerosol with nicotine, and e-cigarette aerosol without nicotine.

A cuff was placed on the upper thigh to restrict blood flow. Once deflated, femoral artery flow velocity (a measure of the speed of blood flow in the femoral artery) and venous oxygen saturation (a measure of the amount of oxygen in the blood that returns to the heart after supplying oxygen to the body’s tissues) were evaluated.

Findings Highlight Immediate Vascular Risks

Cerebrovascular (blood flow in the brain) reactivity was measured with a special type of MRI called phase-contrast MRI. The data of the smokers and vapers was then compared to the baseline scans of 10 non-smokers and non-vapers ranging from 21 to 33 years old.

Following inhalation of each type of vaping or smoking, there was a significant decrease in the resting blood flow velocity in the superficial femoral artery. This artery runs along the thigh and supplies oxygenated blood to the entire lower body.

The decrease in vascular function was most pronounced after inhalation of e-cigarettes containing nicotine, followed by e-cigarettes without nicotine. Decreased venous oxygen saturation was also present in vapers, whether or not the e-cigarettes contained nicotine. This suggests an immediate decrease in the uptake of oxygen by the lungs after vaping.

Implications for Public Health

“This study serves to highlight the acute effects smoking and vaping can have on a multitude of vascular beds in the human body,” Nabbout says in a release. “If the acute consumption of an e-cigarette can have an effect that is immediately manifested at the level of the vessels, it is conceivable that the chronic use can cause vascular disease.”

According to Nabbout, the take-home message for the public is that vaping may not be free of harm. “Ultimately, we are relying on science to help guide the regulation of such products in favor of public health,” she says in a release. “Refraining from smoking and vaping is always recommended.”