More vaping issues?

[Mock Turtle]

And especially for those younger?

Similar DNA changes found in cells of both smokers and e-cigarette users

E-cigarette users with a limited smoking history experience similar DNA changes to specific cheek cells as smokers, finds a new study led by researchers at UCL and University of Innsbruck.

www.ucl.ac.uk

E-cigarette users with a limited smoking history experience similar DNA changes to specific cheek cells as smokers, finds a new study led by researchers at UCL and University of Innsbruck. This study is an incremental step in helping researchers to build a deeper understanding of the long-term effects of e-cigarettes on health. Although it does not show that e-cigarettes cause cancer, studies with long-term follow up are important to assess whether e-cigarettes have harmful effects and, if so, what they are. The study, published in Cancer Research, analysed the epigenetic effects of tobacco and e-cigarettes on DNA methylation in over 3,500 samples, to investigate the impact on cells that are directly exposed to tobacco (e.g. in the mouth) and those that are not directly exposed (e.g. in blood or cervical cells). The epigenome refers to an extra layer of information that is superimposed on our genetic material – the DNA. While DNA can be compared to the ‘hardware’ of a computer, epigenetics are comparable to the computer’s ‘software’ and define how, where and when the programs used by the computer are run.

Epigenomes change throughout our lives and can be affected by a variety of genetic or nongenetic factors – including ageing, our lifestyles, exposure to hormones, chemicals and environmental factors, and even stress and psychological trauma. One commonly studied type of epigenetic modification is called DNA methylation. The researchers found that epithelial cells (cells that typically line organs and are often the cells of origin for cancer) in the mouth showed substantial epigenomic changes in smokers. Importantly, these changes are further elevated in lung cancers or pre-cancers (abnormal cells or tissue that have the potential to develop into cancer), when compared to the normal lung tissue, supporting the idea that the epigenetic changes associated with smoking allow cells to grow more quickly. The publication also includes new data showing the similar epigenomic changes were likewise observed in the cells of e-cigarette users who had only ever smoked less than 100 tobacco cigarettes in their lives.

Senior author, Professor Martin Widschwendter (UCL EGA Institute for Women’s Health and University of Innsbruck), said: “The epigenome allows us, on one side, to look back. It tells us about how our body responded to a previous environmental exposure like smoking. Likewise exploring the epigenome may also enable us to predict future health and disease. Changes that are observed in lung cancer tissue can also be measured in cheek cells from smokers who have not (yet) developed a cancer. "Importantly, our research points to the fact that e-cigarette users exhibit the same changes, and these devices might not be as harmless as originally thought. Long-term studies of e-cigarettes are needed. We are grateful for the support the European Commission has provided to obtain these data.”

 

[jassper]

I've never tried vaping.

 

[Mock Turtle]

I've never tried vaping.

Me neither and I didn't take up smoking as a youth even though many of my friends did. But it seems that vaping might just produce as many bad effects as smoking has done, and especially for those who take it up whilst young. Not that good for a method that might have been aimed at weaning people off smoking.

Welcome to RF.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I've never tried vaping.

People look dumb as hell doing it. Like sucking away on a battery operated fog machine.