Are Electronic Cigarettes Safe?

By Staci Gulbin, MS, MEd, RD, LDN

The American Heart Association says that smoking is the main cause of early death that we could prevent.  Smoking raises blood pressure and increases risk of heart disease. Some people use fake cigarettes known as e-cigarettes, or electronic cigarettes, to help them stop smoking.  It may seem that “fake smoking” would certainly be healthier than smoking cigarettes, but new research has shown that “e-smoking” may be just as bad as smoking for heart health.

Why, you may ask? Experts think it’s because of the nicotine.

What is nicotine?

Nicotine is a substance found in tobacco that can be addictive (you begin to feel a strong desire to take more of it).  During the time you take it, nicotine can put you in a better mood, can decrease your desire to eat, and improve your memory.  On the down side, nicotine can speed up your heart rate and increase your blood pressure. This raises your risk of heart disease.

About e-smoking

E-cigarettes, or electronic cigarettes, were made to help smokers stop by giving them the feeling of smoking without all the cancer-causing poisons real cigarettes contain.  An e-cigarette looks just like a normal cigarette, but it only provides nicotine to the e-smoker. Experts once believed that e-smoking would be a better way to get smokers to stop than using nicotine patches, or simply trying to stop smoking “cold turkey.”

E-smoking and heart disease

A new study at Brown University exposed human and rat cells found in blood vessels to nicotine. After only about six hours, tissue started to break down. The scientists think this breakdown is caused by the nicotine. They also believe that if this breakdown happens in the blood vessels of the heart, it can cause deposits of fat to form there. This can lead to heart disease. When fat deposits form in blood vessels, the vessels can harden and become narrow.  This makes it hard for blood to get to the heart.  This can lead to heart attacks, stroke, and even to death if you do not take good care!

So, what does this research mean for me?

The research team compared nicotine to a kind of “cancer of the blood vessel” that damages cells in blood vessels and makes them more at risk of hardening over time. So, even though e-cigarettes may reduce your chance of getting lung cancer, because of the nicotine they might not decrease your chance of getting heart disease. More research has to be done to confirm these findings, but it is still best to avoid exposing yourself to nicotine.

 

So, how can you protect yourself from heart disease?

  • Stop smoking: Visit www.lung.org/stop-smoking for resources to help you stop. You could join a support group or find a low-dose nicotine gum or patch that can help you stop smoking in the way that works best for you.
  • Eat a healthy, balanced diet: Fruits, veggies, whole grains, and lean protein such as low-fat dairy, lean meats, or beans should be a part of your daily meal plan to help provide your body with the nutrients it needs to be healthy.
  • Stay active: To keep your heart strong be active at least 30 minutes each day, most days of the week.Whether you jog, walk, swim, bike, dance, or just move around a lot while doing yard work or house work, any way you can stay active each day is great for your heart health!
  • Maintain a healthy weight: If you eat healthy and stay active, it is going to be easier to get to and stay at a healthy weight.  Being at a healthy weight lowers your risk of heart disease.
  • Visit your doctor often: Visit your doctor each year, or more often if you already live with a chronic disease such as heart disease or diabetes. Your healthcare provider can help you change your lifestyle habits and medicines to help you gain control over your heart health!

 

Reviewed by Robert Ehrman, MD

Reviewed by Fran Daniel, MPH

 

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Constance Brown-Riggs, MSEd, RD, CDE, CDN—an award-winning RD, certified diabetes educator, and past national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is the author of The African American Guide to Living Well With Diabetes, which received the Favorably Reviewed designation from the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and Eating Soulfully and Healthfully with Diabetes.

Dr. Lori Shemek, PhD, CNC, CLC, the best-selling author of “Fire-Up Your Fat Burn! and leading health and weight loss expert, is also known as “The Inflammation Terminator.” She has made it her mission to educate the public on the toxic effects of certain foods and lifestyle choices and how they create inflammation in the body. She is a leading authority on inflammation and its role in weight loss, preventing disease and optimizing health.

Rebecca Bitzer – MS, RD/LD, CEDRD is an award-winning Registered Dietitian, writer, speaker, blogger, and REBEL Dietitian business owner. Rebecca and her team of six Registered Dietitians have counseled thousands of clients struggling with diabetes for over twenty-five years. They work closely with each other along with internists, endocrinologists, therapists, and families.

Maureen Sullivan – RN, CDE has worked for many years as a Registered Nurse, most of them in emergency and trauma services. She is a Certified Emergency Nurse, Certified Diabetes Educator, and the former manager of a hospital stroke program. Maureen’s wealth of knowledge, passion for nursing and education, and ability to engage people makes her an excellent teacher and a captivating lecturer. Recently, Maureen has been concentrating on writing, speaking and teaching, as well as working on her award-winning weekly podcast, “The Health and Humor Show.”

Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN is a nutrition communications specialist, registered dietitian in private practice, social media consultant, speaker, spokesperson and corporate consultant. She is currently the owner of Nutrition Starring YOU, LLC and www.NutritionStarringYOU.com. Lauren strongly believes that we should “Think Healthy, not Skinny”, and “EveryBODY is unique, your diet should be too”. Lauren was co-host of the Family Food Experts Kitchen radio show, available for listening on iHeart Radio and iTunes. Also known as one of the “NutritionBabes”, Lauren co-founded NutritionBabes.com, a popular Health and Wellness website in 2009. NutritionBabes.com was voted one of Healthline’s Top 100 Health Blogs in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Mark Heyman, PhD, CDE is a clinical health psychologist and the director of the Center for Diabetes and Mental Health (CDMH). In addition to treating patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, Dr. Heyman provides training for health care providers on how to identify and address the emotional and behavioral aspects of diabetes in their patients. He also works with pharmaceutical and medical device companies to help them understand these issues and incorporate this information into their sales, marketing, and patient education materials. He is particularly interested in empirically supported behavioral interventions that promote behavior change and improve physical and mental health in people with diabetes.

Katie Ferraro, MPH, RD, CDE is a nationally-recognized registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator and author with an expertise in nutrition communications and curriculum development. She is the co-author of “Diet Therapy in Advanced Practice Nursing” (McGraw Hill, 2014) and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Nutrition at the University of California San Francisco and University of San Diego’s graduate schools of nursing.

Dr. Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE (aka “Dr. Bev”) is a clinical psychologist and certified diabetes educator, author and speaker. She specializes treating the emotional issues of people with diabetes. In her private practice, she provides individual, family and/or group therapy utilizing a cognitive behavior therapy orientation, combined with a spiritual approach. Her goal is to empower her patients to manage their diabetes.

Dr. Bev is the author of two self-help diabetes books. She has written numerous articles which are published in print and online – always focused on diabetes from the emotional perspective. She also speaks to audiences of people living with diabetes, as well as, to audiences of healthcare professionals and diabetes educators. Dr. Bev, herself, has been living successfully with type 1 diabetes for 40+ years.

In August 2016, Dr. Bev was honored to receive the “CDE Entrepreneur of the Year” Award from her Metropolitan NY Association of Diabetes Educators.

Jill Weisenberger, MS, RDN, CDE, FAND is an internationally recognized nutrition and diabetes expert with more than two decades experience. Through writing, speaking and one-on-one coaching, Jill empowers people to grab control of their health. She has worked as both a nutrition counselor and a diabetes educator in the hospital and research settings, and now in private practice in Newport News, VA. Jill is known for her practical approach and caring attitude. Her no-nonsense strategies to eating well include foods that both taste good and are good for you.

Marlene Koch (pronounced ‘cook’) is a nationally recognized nutritionist, popular TV personality and New York Times bestselling author. She graduated Magna Cum Laude from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in Nutritional Science. She is a registered dietitian and one of a select group of dietitians to hold an advanced certificate in Child and Adolescent Weight Management from the Academy of Nutrition & Dietetics.

Marlene has taught professional chefs from the American Culinary Federation the principles of healthy cooking and eating. She has been adjunct Nutrition professor and cooking instructor for Columbus State College and the Columbus State Culinary Academy, and she is a nationally recognized expert in weight loss, diabetes, child and adolescent nutrition, and sugar substitutes.

Marlene has sold over one million cookbooks, and is a regular guest on QVC.

Barbara Ruhs – MS, RDN is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and owner of Neighborhood Nutrition LLC, a consulting firm focused on providing solutions to help food companies and supermarkets improve consumer health & wellness. She’s a former supermarket dietitian and has run a successful business for 17 years. A leader in the field of nutrition, her mission is to help people by impacting the way food is produced, marketed and sold. She’s a strong advocate for supermarket dietitians and believes the retail food industry has the greatest potential to impact public health.

Cheryl Orlansky has over 25 years of experience in health promotion and chronic disease prevention and management. Her first career as a registered dental hygienist led her towards a path of wellness and nutrition! Her expertise is in diabetes, weight management and cardiovascular disease for individuals and groups. She works in a large private practice including endocrinology, internal medicine, rheumatology, neurology and sleep medicine. She is an award winning dietitian with current leadership positions in state and local dietetics organizations.

She has been interviewed and quoted in media outlets for WebMD, Atlanta Sports and Fitness, Georgia Public Broadcasting, and the Atlanta Journal and Constitution. She has partnered with V-103 Radio to lead supermarket tours as part of a community outreach during National Nutrition Month.

Cheryl helps her clients reach balance through lifestyle choices: cooking and eating, activity and purpose in life.

Jackie Newgent, RDN, CDN, is a registered dietitian nutritionist and classically-trained chef. With a passion for helping people (including her father) with diabetes, she’s author of The With or Without Meat Cookbook: The Flexible Approach to Flavorful Diabetes Cooking and the award-winning The All‐Natural Diabetes Cookbook, both published by the American Diabetes Association. Jackie is also author of 1,000 Low-Calorie Recipes and Big Green Cookbook. Her next book, The All-Natural Diabetes Cookbook—2nd Edition, was published in 2015.

Nutritionist Rania Batayneh, MPH is the author of the best-selling book, The One One One Diet. She holds a master’s degree in public health nutrition from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and is also a Wellcoaches Certified Health and Wellness Coach endorsed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).

OmnichannelHealth Media, publisher of DiabetesDigest.com, does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.