Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Marijuana, vaping may be as harmful to heart as cigarettes: Study

E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products have become popular because the public perceives them as being less harmful than smoking, the researchers said.

Marijuana, vaping may be as harmful to heart as cigarettes: Study

E-cigarettes and marijuana may have harmful effects on the heart similar to those caused by tobacco cigarettes, opening the door to abnormal heart rhythms, according to a study conducted in mice.

E-cigarettes and heated tobacco products have become popular because the public perceives them as being less harmful than smoking, the researchers said.


Similarly, legal recreational marijuana has become more common in recent years, and is also frequently viewed by the public as being safer than smoking tobacco, they said.

"We found that cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and marijuana greatly interfere with the electrical activity, structure, and neural regulation of the heart," said study lead author Huiliang Qiu, a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) in the US.

"Often, any single change can lead to arrhythmia disease. Unfortunately, these adverse effects on the heart are quite comprehensive," Qiu said.

The study, published in the journal Heart Rhythm, exposed rats for eight weeks to a single daily session of exposure to smoke, aerosol from a popular e-cigarette, aerosol from a heated tobacco product, smoke from marijuana, and smoke from modified marijuana that lacks all cannabinoids, compared to just air.

The exposures modelled a single session of actual smoking/vaping: The rats inhaled the smoke or aerosol for five seconds twice for five minutes, with clean air in between the smoke inhalations.

This was done once per day for five days and per week for eight weeks. During that time, the heart function in the rats exposed to the products (but not air) got progressively worse and blood pressure increased, the researchers said.

At the end of the study, the team conducted various tests to determine the electrical and physical properties of the hearts.

The researchers found that all the products led to increased scarring in the heart, a decrease in the number of blood vessels, a change in the type of nerves found in the heart, a reduction in the important ability to vary heart rate, and a higher likelihood of developing arrhythmias.

"It's notable that all of these tobacco and marijuana products had such similar effects," said senior author Matthew Springer, a UCSF professor of cardiology.

"And what's really striking is that this was caused by a single realistic smoking/vaping session per day," Springer said.

The researchers acknowledged that there are some limitations to the study.

"While rats are a good model for many cardiovascular effects of humans, there are still differences and one can't draw firm conclusions about effects on humans from rat studies alone," Springer said.

However, he noted that the results are consistent with various reports from the medical literature about heart rhythm disturbances in users of e-cigarettes or marijuana.

The observation of various physical disturbances in the heart, like the scarring and the nerve changes, suggests a similar explanation, despite the differences in nicotine or cannabinoid content, the researchers added.

(PTI)

More For You

modi-trump-getty
Modi shakes hands with Trump before a meeting at Hyderabad House in New Delhi on February 25, 2020. (Photo: Getty Images)

India open to tariff cuts on £17.7 bn worth of US imports: Report

INDIA is considering cutting tariffs on more than half of US imports valued at £17.7 billion as part of ongoing trade negotiations, two government sources told Reuters.

The move, which would be the most significant tariff reduction in years, is aimed at countering reciprocal tariffs.

Keep ReadingShow less
Mamata Banerjee calls for stronger Bengal-UK ties

Addressing the gathering, she spoke about Bengal’s economic and cultural ties with the UK and highlighted investment opportunities.

Mamata Banerjee calls for stronger Bengal-UK ties at London event

CHIEF MINISTER of India's West Bengal state Mamata Banerjee attended a high tea reception at India House in London, hosted by Indian high commissioner Vikram K Doraiswami.

The event brought together business leaders, government officials, and cultural figures to discuss investment, education, and trade opportunities between Bengal and the UK.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Survey Reveals More Britons Reducing Everyday Spending

About 43 per cent of consumers said they were cutting back on everyday purchases, while more than a third reported increasing their savings as a precaution. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Survey shows more Britons cutting back on everyday expenses

CONSUMERS in the UK are reducing spending on everyday items as confidence in the economy declines ahead of chancellor Rachel Reeves’s spring statement, according to a KPMG survey.

The survey, conducted among 3,000 UK consumers, found that 58 per cent believed the economy was worsening in the three months to February, up 15 percentage points from the previous quarter, The Guardian reported.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Hamdan Ballal

Palestinian Oscar-winning director Hamdan Ballal, co-creator of No Other Land, was reportedly assaulted by Israeli settlers before being detained by military forces in the West Bank

Getty Images

Oscar-winning filmmaker Hamdan Ballal beaten and detained in West Bank

Hamdan Ballal, Palestinian co-director of the Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land, was assaulted by Israeli settlers and later taken into military custody in the occupied West Bank, witnesses say.

The attack took place Monday evening in the village of Susya, where armed settlers targeted Palestinian residents and international activists. According to the Centre for Jewish Nonviolence, Ballal suffered head injuries during the assault. While receiving treatment in an ambulance, Israeli soldiers reportedly pulled him out and arrested him, along with another Palestinian. His current whereabouts remain unknown.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK houses

Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2027 and be completed by 2029, the government said.

image: Getty

Government to invest £2 billion in 18,000 affordable homes by 2029

THE UK government on Tuesday announced a £2 billion investment to build up to 18,000 social and affordable homes in England.

The initiative is part of its broader target to deliver 1.5 million homes by the end of the current parliament and support economic growth.

Keep ReadingShow less