Smokers who switch to vaping could soon ‘have healthier hearts’

Source: NHS –Behind the Headlines

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Date of publication: November 2019

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: “Smokers can improve the health of their hearts within weeks of switching to e-cigarettes, the largest trial of its kind shows”

The number of people using e-cigarettes, or vaping, has grown rapidly over the past decade and they have helped many people to give up smoking cigarettes. However, as e-cigarettes have only been available for a relatively short time, we’re still building evidence on their health effects – both positive and negative. In this new Scottish study researchers recruited 115 smokers, about two-thirds of whom were willing to switch to e-cigarettes while a third continued to smoke. After a month researchers found the arteries of those who switched to e-cigarettes were now better at widening (dilating) when there was an increased blood flow. This ability of the arteries to remain pliable and respond to changes in blood flow is known as vascular function. Poor vascular function is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, such as a heart attack.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.

Acknowledgement:   NHS –Behind the Headlines

E-cigarettes linked to heart attacks, coronary artery disease and depression

Source: Science Daily

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Date of publication: March 2019

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: New research shows that adults who report puffing e-cigarettes, or vaping, are significantly more likely to have a heart attack, coronary artery disease and depression compared with those who don’t use them or any tobacco products.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement:   Science Daily

Smoking and alcohol affect teenagers’ artery health

Source: NHS Health news

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Date of publication: 2018

Publication type: News

In a nutshell: “Teenagers who drink [alcohol] and smoke even moderate amounts can suffer stiffening arteries by the age of 17, a new study has found”.

Stiffening of the arteries doesn’t usually cause any noticeable symptoms, but is a possible indicator of future vascular problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement:   NHS Health news

High blood pressure smoking and diabetes increase heart attack risk more in women than in men

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Date of publication: November 2018

Publication type: Research

In a nutshell: A study published in the BMJ reveals some risk factors have a greater impact on heart attack risk in women than they do in men.

Overall, men are at greater risk of heart attack than women, but several studies have suggested that certain risk factors have more of an impact on the risk in women than in men. To look more closely at this association, researchers at Oxford University looked at data on almost half a million people enrolled in the UK Biobank – a database of biological information from British adults. The 471,998 people had no history of cardiovascular disease, were aged 40 to 69 years and 56% of them were women.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Acknowledgement:   British Heart Foundation

Smoking thickens the heart’s walls and reduces function

Source: Medical News Today

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Date of publication:  September 2016

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell:  There are already numerous reasons to quit smoking, but a study published this week provides yet another. According to the results, published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging, smoking thickens the heart wall, reducing pumping ability.

Length of publication:  1 webpage

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Acknowledgement: Medical News Today

First set of local government briefings unveiled

Source: National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

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Date of publication: July 2012

Publication type: Press release

In a nutshell: NICE is developing a range of public health briefings to support local government. The first three topics to be published are on tobacco, workplace health and physical activity. The guidance gives advice on which actions are most effective in improving health and provide best value for money. For example, the recommendations for reducing levels of smoking among workers will help reduce cardiorespiratory diseases – one of the largest causes of sickness absence. The briefings highlight how local communities will benefit from the recommendations, along with examples of good practice and facts and figures to make a case of action. They are aimed at local authorities and their partner organisations in the health and voluntary sectors.

Length of publication: 1 webpage

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Lifetime risks of cardiovascular disease

Source: New England Journal of Medicine, 2012, 366 (4) p. 321-9

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Date of publication: January 2012

Publication type: Journal article

In a nutshell: This study is a meta-analysis of data from 18 cohort studies involving over 250,000 adults from the last 50 years. Participants were stratified according to blood pressure, cholesterol level, smoking and diabetes. The researchers calculated the lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease according to age, sex, race and other risk factors across multiple birth cohorts. Marked differences in the lifetime risks of cardiovascular disease across risk-factor strata were observed. The authors believe that their findings have important implications for clinical disease prevention and public health practice.

Length of publication: 9 pages

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Smoking breeding health inequalities, says FPH

Source: UK Faculty of Public Health

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Date of publication:  27 October 2010

Publication type: News item

In a nutshell: This item highlights the north/south divide shown by the local tobacco control profiles for England, recently published by the Association of Public Health Observatories. The profiles give the rates, costs and actions of every local authority and primary care trust in the country.

Length of publication: 1 web page

Some important notes: Please contact your local NHS library if you cannot access the full text. Follow this link to find your local NHS library.