E-cigarettes cause DNA damage similar to smoking – study links vaping to cancer risk

A new study shows that e-cigarettes damage users’ DNA in a similar way to how smokers develop cancer.

Researchers from University College London found e-cigarette Similar changes occur in the DNA of cells in the mouths of users and smokers – changes linked to future lung development cancer among smokers.

This is the first major study linking e-cigarettes to an increased risk of cancer, but scientists say further research is needed.

The study, published in the journal Cancer Research, looked at the DNA of more than 3,500 people.

Professor Martin Widschwindt, one of the study’s authors, said e-cigarettes “may not be as harmless as first thought”.

Lead author Dr Chiara Herzog added: “While the scientific consensus is that e-cigarettes are safer than smoking, we cannot assume they are completely safe to use and it is important to explore their potential long-term risks and links to cancer.

this NHS It states that e-cigarettes are much safer than smoking tobacco and recommends that smokers switch to e-cigarettes to improve their health.

But DNA changes were also observed in e-cigarette users who had smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in their lifetime.

“E-cigarettes are not without risks”

Dr Ian Walker, executive director of policy at Cancer Research UK, said: “This study contributes to our understanding of e-cigarettes, but it does not show that e-cigarettes cause cancer.

“Decades of research have demonstrated the link between smoking and cancer, and research so far shows that e-cigarettes are far less harmful than smoking and can help people quit smoking,” he said.

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“However, this paper does highlight that e-cigarettes are not without risks, so we need more research to reveal their potential long-term effects on human health.”

Lawmakers will vote today on legislation that would restrict e-cigarette flavors and promotions and completely ban smoking for people born after January 1, 2009.

Dr Walker added: “Smoking causes 150 cases of cancer every day in the UK, which is why we look forward to seeing the Government’s selling age legislation introduced in Parliament.

“Nothing has a greater impact on reducing the number of preventable deaths in the UK than quitting smoking and this policy will take us one step closer to a smoke-free future.”