Human heart cells show stress response to tobacco smoke, but not to e-cig vapour

I just ran across this great article from the University of Bristol comparing the effects of cigarette smoke and ecig vapor on heart cells.  The study found that vapor from electronic cigarettes did not have the same negative effect on heart cells as cigarette smoke does.

The researchers created cigarette smoke extract from a conventional cigarette and electronic cigarette aerosol extract from an e-cigarette aerosol. Both were passed through a culture of the cells. The researchers then analysed the gene expression patterns of the heart cells to see if the cells exhibited a stress response to either the cigarette smoke or e-cigarette aerosol exposure.

Professor Marcus Munafò said: “We found the cells showed a stress response from the cigarette smoke extract, but not from the electronic cigarette aerosol extract. This result suggests tobacco smokers may be able to reduce immediate tobacco-related harm by switching from conventional cigarettes to e-cigarettes.”

Repost:http://bristol.ac.uk/news/2016/may/ecigarettes-tobacco-heart.html

Black Note N.E.T. Liquids

I’ve had the pleasure of vaping some mighty fine tobacco liquids lately.  Black Note’s naturally extracted tobacco liquids are some of the finest I’ve tasted.  Check out the full review.

25% off Blue E-liquid This Weekend

I recently offered a review of a few Blue e-liquid flavors from Smoktek, and now Smoktek is offering an even better deal on them.  Use the code juice25 to save on SmokEjuice  through 9/20!

E-cigarettes Study by Public Health England

Public Health England has released a new study on electronic cigarettes and it is perhaps the most truthful and logical analysis so far of the health implications of electronic cigarette use.  The study not only delves into the benefits and lack of risks of electronic cigarette use, but it directly refutes the misleading and often patently false information being bantered about in the headlines.

The full 113 page document, E-cigarettes: an evidence update is available for download at the UK government site, but the following summary is taken directly from the “key messages” in it.

1.  Smokers who have tried other methods of quitting without success could be encouraged to try e-cigarettes (EC) to stop smoking and stop smoking services should support smokers using EC to quit by offering them behavioural support.

It is simply unfathomable to me that any health professional would try to demonize electronic cigarettes when what they should be doing is handing them out to any smoker that wants to try one.  E-cigs are the best smoking cessation aid to come along and should be treated as such.

2. Encouraging smokers who cannot or do not want to stop smoking to switch to EC could help reduce smoking related disease, death and health inequalities.

No brainer here.  There is no question that electronic cigarettes eliminate most of the harmful ingredients and chemicals found in cigarettes.

3. There is no evidence that EC are undermining the long-term decline in cigarette smoking among adults and youth, and may in fact be contributing to it. Despite some experimentation with EC among never smokers, EC are attracting very few people who have never smoked into regular EC use.

In direct rebuttal to the scare-mongering headlines, this Public Health England acknowledges the fact that there is no evidence to support the idea that people start smoking after trying an electronic cigarette.  Any vapor will tell you that smoking a cigarette is disgusting after switching to e-cigs, and it’s hard to believe that a non-smoker would try vaping and then willingly switch to a more expensive, foul tasting and smelly cigarette instead.

4. Recent studies support the Cochrane Review findings that EC can help people to quit smoking and reduce their cigarette consumption. There is also evidence that EC can encourage quitting or cigarette consumption reduction even among those not intending to quit or rejecting other support. More research is needed in this area.

I can speak to this one personally.  I had no intention of quitting a 20 year pack-a-day habit when I picked up my first electronic cigarette.  I bought it solely for those times that it was inconvenient to smoke.  Within a week I had “accidentally” quit smoking.

5. When used as intended, EC pose no risk of nicotine poisoning to users, but eliquids should be in ‘childproof’ packaging. The accuracy of nicotine content labelling currently raises no major concerns.

Again, a no brainer.  The misinformation in the press is simply wrong on the dangers of nicotine poisoning.  Treated with a degree of caution around children and animals, it simply is not that dangerous.

6. There has been an overall shift towards the inaccurate perception of EC being as harmful as cigarettes over the last year in contrast to the current expert estimate that using EC is around 95% safer than smoking.

Okay, the “more dangerous than cigarettes” headlines do not even deserve a response.  Hopefully most people can see them as the flat-out lies that they are.  The “95% safer” part is one of the best take-aways from this study, though.  We have known for years that electronic cigarettes are magnitudes safer than conventional cigarettes and that they contain nearly none of the thousands of harmful chemicals found in tobacco cigarettes.  It’s great to be able to see an actual numerical comparison from such a reputable organization.

7. Whilst protecting non-smoking children and ensuring the products on the market are as safe and effective as possible are clearly important goals, new regulations currently planned should also maximise the public health opportunities of EC.

You could also read this as “don’t let fretting about whether kids will try them get in the way of saving adults.”  I am passionate about telling any kid that will listen to never try any nicotine in any form, but taking a lifesaving technology off the market because kids like strawberry flavors is ridiculous.

8. Continued vigilance and research in this area are needed.

We don’t know all there is to know because the technology hasn’t been around long enough.  My personal outlook is that there has been a lot of big money thrown at finding something wrong with electronic cigarettes and we haven’t heard about most of the studies that found nothing.  That’s good enough for me, but we do need to continue to look for harmful side effects.

 

A breath of fresh air

This study is a breath of fresh air both for its seemingly accurate assessment of the potential benefits of electronic cigarette use as well as its willingness to directly invalidate the misinformation that grabs so many headlines.  Let’s hope that a healthy dose of truth can make some headlines as well.

 

Blue Line E-Liquid from Smoktek

I don’t do a lot of e-liquid reviews and the over-the-top flavor concentration of a lot of e-liquids is part of the reason why.  I have many half-full bottles of e-liquids that were fantastic to sample, but just too much for an all day vape.  I’ve had some that only became palatable after diluting with more PG and VG.

The Blue line of e-liquid from Smoktek is a great example of e-juice that can be tasty without being overwhelming.  Check out the full review of some Blue flavors.  Above all, these e-liquids provide a clean satisfying vape that is as good at the end of the day as it is at the beginning.

Temperature Control and Why You Want It.

Along with sub-ohm atomizers and high wattage devices, Temperature Control is one of the hottest (pardon the pun) new vaping technologies this year.  But, if controlling the wattage sent to the atomizer is controlling the heat, then why do we need temperature control?  The answer is that temperature control does a much better job of regulating the temperature when the atomizer heats and cools and when it begins to dry out.  By utilizing temperature control, burnt hits can be avoided and as it turns out, there is more than just lousy flavor to be worried about when the wick goes dry.

Pink Spot Vapors has provided Temperature Control: What It Can Mean For You, an excellent article that details why burnt hits are bad and why Temperature Control is the solution.

Smoktek HOT Weekend

I just received a coupon code from Smoktek.  The code is HOT and will get you 15% off your order.  Use it on the Kanger Subtank Mini that I just reviewed for a great buy on a great tank!

ZMAX Mini 50% off at Madvapes

I’ve always liked the ZMAX line from Smok and the Mini has been one of my favorite pocket devices.  The battery life of the single 18350 battery is relatively short in comparison with some of the current small box mods, but the mini is still a nice device to hold and use.  Madvapes now has them on sale in a variety of colors for just $21.  That makes for a pretty cheap standby device or eGo upgrade.

iStick Bender

I’ve mentioned before that the iStick is just about the perfect pocket device in my opinion.  A nifty little add-on called the Bender makes it even more-so by allowing the tank to be stored alongside the unit itself.  Of course, the arrangement increases the overall width, but the length is now only about 3 inches.  At $5.95 from Litecig, the Bender  is an inexpensive modification to an already budget-priced device.

Eleaf iStick Review

Eleaf iStickCheck out the latest review of the Eleaf iStick.  It’s a great little VV/VW device with a nice amount of power output in an easy to use package.