Daily use of e-cigarettes alters inflammatory states in multiple organs, meaning it can affect how the brain, heart, lungs, and colon respond to infections, including COVID-19. These conclusions were recently published by scientists from the School of Medicine at the University of California (UC) San Diego in the journal eLife.
They concluded that the effects of vaping, or inhaling through e-cigarettes, depend on their flavoring. Smokers who inhale mint flavor from their e-cigarettes are reportedly more prone to pulmonary bacterial infections than those who inhale mango flavor. Researchers tested the most popular American e-cigarette brand JUUL and its most popular mint and mango flavored liquids in a study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the American Heart Association, the ATS Foundation Award for Outstanding Young Investigators, the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program, and UC San Diego. This should also confirm that they were independent in their research.
The experiment was conducted on mice that were exposed to e-cigarette liquid aerosols three times a day for three months. They then looked for signs of inflammation throughout the mice’s bodies. The strongest effects were found in the brain. Additional changes were observed in the brain region that is critical for motivation and reward processing. Researchers concluded that the findings are concerning because inflammation in that part of the brain in humans is associated with anxiety, depression, and addictive behavior.
