Research indicates that you can reduce your carcinogenic exposure by up to 64% after only two weeks

Article from ChurnMag.com Actual article title too sensationalized for my taste
She Switches To Vaping, And After Only Two Weeks You Won’t Believe What Happened - ChurnMag

As vaping has become increasingly prevalent in the public eye, more people are asking about the differences in cancer risk. A study titled Exposure to Nicotine and Selected Toxicants in Cigarette Smokers Who Switched to Electronic Cigarettes was published in the Nicotine and Tobacco Journal. The researchers wanted a better understanding of the physiological impact of smokers switching to vaping.

The researcher’s findings showed that smokers who convert to vaping have quite a noticeable decrease in exposure to carcinogens, which cigarettes are famously chock full of. While they made sure to point out that this study used a small sample size, so further research will be needed, researches noted that this might be the first study to demonstrate this connection explicitly.

Vaping Study

The research was conducted by testing the urine of twenty subjects who smoke regularly. These smokers were asked to switch exclusively to an M201 pen-style vaporizer for two weeks. The team first looked for the presence and level of select toxicants and carcinogens. The data from these biomarkers was able to test claims that vaporizing delivers nicotine without the toxic carcinogens found in cigarette smoke.

By measuring the urine for seven distinct nicotine metabolites, as well as seventeen additional biomarkers of smoke exposure, they were able to calculate the participant’s overall exposure. The biomarkers clearly indicated to researchers significant changes in the presence of thirteen well-known carcinogens. This included the tobacco-specific substance nitrosamine, along with four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and eight volatile organic compounds. The changes in the presence and concentration of these biomarkers were tracked using repeated measures analysis of variance and allowed the team to draw some important conclusions.

What They Found

One of the first positive outcomes from the experiment was evident during the exit interviews. At the end of the two weeks, 45% of the study’s participants reported that they were able to abstain from cigarette smoking altogether. The remainder either reported they still smoked to some degree, or had been unable to complete the study for some other reason. Likely the most crucial finding came when they took a looks at the changes in biomarker levels. The vast majority of the biomarkers decreased significantly, in some cases in as little as a week. In fact, it was virtually only the nicotine levels that remained constant throughout the experiment.

The researchers concluded that participants who switched to vaping showed a considerable decrease in the number of harmful toxicants and carcinogens present in their system at any given time. Researchers note the real value in this study is showing the massive harm reduction and smoking cessation assistance that vaporizers offer. It should be noted once again that the sample size of this particular experiment was quite small. They believe more data must be gathered on these important topics. That said, this study is a wonderful starting point for further exploration.

Implications

This study was conducted at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo and was led by the renowned Dr. Maciej Goniewicz. More research like this is vital to truly show the impact vaping can have on the health of smokers. It’s studies like this that help pivot perception away from a negative view of vaping among the public and legislators. Just like the pivotal 2015 study by Public Health England which found vaping to be 95% safer than smoking, strong evidence can sway the government to support vaping as a harm reduction and smoking cessation tool.

It seems that mainstream media outlets and other news sources only wish to repeat the stories that are outliers, painting vaping in a negative light in the pursuit of clicks and views. The FDA at this time promotes the use of nicotine gums, patches, and even prescription drugs, yet they still demonize vaping despite it being more effective smoking cessation tool, as proved by a team of researchers at the University of Louisville. Luckily some heads have turned, and groups like the American Cancer Society have spoken up to recognize vaping as an invaluable harm reduction tool. With more work like this done in a local capacity, it will only be a matter of time before the public starts to see the truth behind vaping.