UTSA research suggests ‘vaping’ may not be as risk-free as it appears

William Cooke

Donovan Fogt

A commonly used vaping device or 'e-cigarette'

By Jesus Chavez
Public Affairs Specialist

(July 8, 2015) -- According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than 20 million U.S. adults or one in 10 have tried an e-cigarette or vaping device. Many people 'vape,' as the practice is commonly called, to soothe their nicotine cravings without a traditional cigarette’s harmful effects. Others are trying nicotine inhalation for the first time.

But is vaping harmless? Local researchers wanted to find out.

In one of the first studies of its kind, UTSA researchers William H. Cooke and Donovan Fogt (kinesiology), and Caroline Rickards at the University of North Texas Health Science Center gathered data on the cardiovascular effects of vaporized nicotine in healthy young adults. Cooke, Fogt and Rickards studied 20 healthy non-smokers. Each was randomly given a nicotine cartridge or a placebo cartridge, and various cardiovascular measurements were taken.

“We wanted to understand the effects of vaping on otherwise healthy young men and women,” said Cooke. “We specifically chose to study young adults who had never smoked before because it would give us the cleanest data, and many young non-smokers are curious about vaping. We found that vaping causes a moderate but significant increase in arterial pressure, and so we cannot conclude that vaping is completely harmless.”

Cooke, Fogt and Rickards observed that the non-smokers they studied experienced acute blood pressure spikes immediately after they vaped for 10 minutes. Moreover, those spikes lasted for at least 15 minutes after nicotine inhalation ended.

“In addition to the increased blood pressure readings, 19 of 20 subjects reported feeling lightheaded and at least three subjects reported feeling nauseated after inhaling the nicotine cartridge,” said Cooke. “In comparison, no physical discomfort was expressed by those who used the placebo cartridge.”

Cooke says that nicotine is one of the most addictive substances on the planet. He also says that the flavorings commonly sold alongside vaping cartridges such as fruit or bubblegum may attract young non-smokers who may have never considered smoking, and experimenting with “vaping” could lead to nicotine addiction.

The researchers also worry that in addition to causing blood pressure spikes, prolonged vaping could lead to long-term cardiovascular problems, especially in people with undiagnosed hypertension.

The UTSA pilot study was funded by $30,000 from the Office of the Vice President for Research. Over the next few years, the researchers will expand the study to drill deeper into the long-term health effects of continuous vaping on a variety of populations.

The study, “Acute inhalation of vaporized nicotine increases arterial pressure in young non-smokers: A pilot study,” has been accepted for publication in the journal, Clinical Autonomic Research.

The UTSA Department of Kinesiology, Health and Nutrition serves more than 1,000 students in four-degree programs, three minors and a master’s program. Its faculty specializes in community health, school health, nutrition, exercise physiology, exercise and sport psychology, pedagogy, adaptive / developmental physical education, biomechanics, motor learning and control, and evaluation and assessment. Research conducted in the department focuses on the prevention and treatment of risks for diseases and promotion of healthy growth and living across lifespan.

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