E-cigarettes, Even One Use Increases Cancer Risk ↑

Causing Cardiovascular, Lung, and Nervous System Diseases... E-Cigarettes Are Not Safe at All

(Photo by Getty Images Bank)

[Asia Economy Senior Reporter Jinsoo Lee] It has been revealed that even using an electronic cigarette once increases the likelihood of developing cancer and other diseases.

On the 9th (local time), a research team from the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) reported in an online paper published in the "Journal of the American Medical Association Pediatrics (JAMA Pediatrics)" that electronic cigarettes rapidly affect the cells of healthy non-smokers.

According to the paper, even using an electronic cigarette for just 30 minutes once can increase oxidative stress in cells. Oxidative stress arises from an imbalance between oxidants produced by the body and the antioxidant substances that counteract them. When oxygen enters the body through breathing, it is used in metabolism along with absorbed nutrients. During this process, reactive oxygen species are inevitably generated. However, when reactive oxygen species accumulate excessively in the body, cells and tissues are damaged. This is oxidative stress.

One of the authors of this paper, Professor Holly Middlekauff, who teaches cardiology and physiology at the David Geffen School of Medicine, said, "Oxidative stress can cause cancer as well as diseases of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, and nervous systems," adding, "The surprising fact is that even a healthy young person can suffer serious effects on the body from using an electronic cigarette just once."

The experiment involved 32 volunteers aged 21 to 33. The researchers divided them into three groups: 11 non-smokers, 9 habitual conventional cigarette smokers, and 12 habitual electronic cigarette smokers. Immune cells were collected from these participants. Then, after instructing them to use an electronic cigarette for 30 minutes, immune cells were collected again to compare changes in oxidative stress among the three groups.

As a result, the oxidative stress levels in non-smokers rose 2 to 4 times compared to before using the electronic cigarette. Professor Middlekauff stated, "Many people believe that electronic cigarettes are safer than conventional cigarettes, but the experimental results clearly show that electronic cigarettes are not safe at all."

It is increasingly being revealed that electronic cigarettes also cause significant harm to the human body. In May, a Canadian research team announced findings that electronic cigarette users have a 19% higher probability of suffering from asthma. The researchers also added that asthma patients who use electronic cigarettes may experience a 24% increase in the likelihood of asthma attacks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.