E-Cigarette Use Linked to Higher Heart Attack Risk: Study

Electronic cigarettes pose serious cardiovascular risks with users facing 53% higher risk of heart attacks compared to non-users, according to a new review and meta-analysis led by scientists at the Indian Council of Medical Research-National Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research (ICMR-NICPR). In fact, former cigarette smokers who switched to e-cigarettes faced more than double the heart attack risk compared to those who quit tobacco entirely. Published in the BMC Public Health, the study analysed data from over 1.2 million participants across 12 studies and found that the cardiovascular dangers of e-cigarettes persist even after accounting for conventional cigarette smoking. “This research shatters the myth that e-cigarettes are harmless alternatives to conventional smoking,” said Dr Shalini Singh, Director of ICMR-NICPR and WHO FCTC Knowledge Hub on Smokeless Tobacco. She is also senior author of the study. The findings demonstrate that nicotine damages the heart and blood vessels regardless of how it is delivered, researchers said, adding that this has implications for India’s public health policy and validates the country’s 2019 decision to ban e-cigarettes.