Consumed regularly, e-cigarettes pierce the intestinal barrier and trigger inflammation in the body, which can lead to a host of health issues.
- Regular use of e-cigarettes without nicotine resulted in “leaky gut”, in which microbes and other molecules seep out of the intestines, causing chronic inflammation in the body.
- Propylene glycol and vegetable glycerol are implicated.
Touted by manufacturers as a healthy alternative to traditional nicotine cigarettes, e-cigarettes, according to new research, contain chemicals that can break through the intestinal barrier and trigger inflammation in the body, which can lead to a whole host of health issues.
“Leaky Gut”
In this study, published on January 5, 2021 in the journal iScience, Professors Soumita Das and Pradipta Ghosh found that regular use of electronic cigarettes without nicotine leads to “leaky gut”, in which microbes and other molecules seep out of the intestines, causing chronic inflammation in the body. Such inflammation can contribute to the development of various pathologies, including inflammatory bowel disease, dementia, certain cancers, atherosclerosis, liver fibrosis, diabetes and arthritis.
“The intestinal mucosa is an amazing entity. It is made up of a single layer of cells that are supposed to insulate the body from trillions of microbes, defend our immune system and at the same time allow the absorption of essential nutrients”, explains Mr. Ghosh. “Everything we eat or drink impacts our gut microbes, the gut barrier and overall health. We now know that what we smoke also has a negative impact,” he continues.
The cause of inflammation
He and his team discovered that two chemicals used as the basis for all liquid vapor from e-cigarettes – propylene glycol and vegetable glycerol – were the cause of the inflammation.
“Many chemicals are created when these two substances are heated to generate the vapors that cause the most damage, for which there are no regulations in place”laments Mr. Ghosh. “The health safety of electronic cigarettes is a matter of debate. The nicotine content and its associated addictive nature has always been the main concern of those who oppose vaping. However, the chemicals that make up liquid vapor should be of greater concern to us, because they are the cause of intestinal inflammation”, he concludes.
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