The fact of vaping would have harmful consequences for the brain, especially that of young people. Inhaled smoke would disturb memory and cloud judgment.
Cigarettes are bad for your health, it has been scientifically proven countless times. But e-cigarettes don’t get a very good press either. Indeed, numerous studies have shown their disastrous consequences at the pulmonary and cardiovascular level. Studies have even shown an association between vaping and mental impairment in animals. And according to two new American works, published in the journals Tobacco Induced Diseases and Plos One, this link would also be verified in humans, especially for those who started smoking electronic cigarettes before the age of 14.
The studies analyzed more than 18,000 responses from middle and high school students to the National Youth Tobacco Survey and more than 886,000 responses from American adults to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System telephone survey. In both cases, the questions were about smoking and vaping habits as well as problems with memory, attention and mental acuity. Results: people who smoke and drink excessively are more likely to report suffering from mental difficulties. Those who only smoked also reported mental fog, higher than that of non-smokers. What’s more, participants who started vaping between the ages of 8 and 13 seemed to have even more trouble concentrating, making decisions or remembering things than those who started vaping later.
“Our studies add to growing evidence that e-cigarettes should not be considered a safe alternative to smoking”comments lead author Dongmei Li, an associate professor at the Institute for Clinical and Translational Sciences at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC).
Adolescence: a key period for brain development
But while both studies shed light on an association between inhalation and mental functions, the exact cause is unknown. Exposure to nicotine through vapor inhalation may affect the brain, researchers say. Or perhaps people reporting mental fog are more likely to smoke or self-medicate. To see clearly, scientists are preparing to conduct new studies to follow the participants over the long term.
Either way, the results of this research have researchers worried. And for good reason: in the United States, the number of young people vaping at the age of 14 or under has tripled in recent years. More than a quarter of them even say they started at the age of 12. “With the recent increase in the number of teenagers taking up vaping, this is very concerning and suggests that we need to intervene even sooner.concludes Dongmei Li. Prevention programs that start in middle school or high school might actually come too late.”
Indeed, adolescence is a pivotal period for brain development. Also, tweens and teens may be more susceptible to nicotine-induced brain changes. And while electronic cigarettes, which are particularly popular with young people, do not contain many of the dangerous compounds present in traditional cigarettes, they can nevertheless be loaded with more nicotine.
A picture difference
Between 2011 and 2018, e-cigarette use among American teens increased from 1.5% to 20.8%, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In France, on the other hand, while 25% of 17-year-olds say they smoke every day, only 1.7% vape daily and 30% of them say they have already tried electronic cigarettes. According to a study carried out a year ago by the University of Michigan (United States), this could be explained because Americans do not imagine the e-cigarette as harmful and addictive as the traditional one.
However, if we do not yet know in detail the effects of electronic cigarettes on health, it is certain that it is bad. The World Health Organization (WHO) even considers it “unquestionably harmful”. According to her, there would also be insufficient proof of its effectiveness in smoking cessation. Contrary to the Academy of Medicine which considers it “useful for quitting smoking” and ensures that it is better controlled in France than in the United States, the WHO therefore recommends rather to smokers wishing to quit turn to substitute products such as patches or gums.
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