On August 25, according to a study published in Physician Weekly, cardiovascular disease (CVD) was found to improve 3 and 6 months after quitting smoking, but randomized to receive nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, nicotine-free e-cigarettes and nicotine. There were no differences between the treated individuals.

Smoking is a major risk factor for many health conditions, including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Although nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and behavioral encouragement are most effective for smoking cessation, high relapse rates suggest the need for alternative smoking cessation strategies.

For example, 27% of smokers interested in quitting used e-cigarettes and vaping products, compared to 18% of smokers using NRT. However, there is limited evidence on the effects of e-cigarettes on cardiovascular health.

Therefore, this randomized controlled trial aimed to compare CVD outcomes at 3- and 6-month follow-up in smokers randomized to receive nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, nicotine-free e-cigarettes, or NRT.

The study population consisted of 248 people who smoked more than 10 cigarettes a day and wanted to quit. Measured CVD outcomes included flow-mediated dilation (%FMD), mean arterial pressure (MAP), and peak cutaneous vascular conductance (CVCmax) responses to acetylcholine (ACh) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP).

RESULTS: %FMD improved in all 3 groups at 3 months (β=3.33, 95% CI 2.61-4.05, p = 0.0001) and at 6 months (β=2.69, 95% CI 2.02-3.35, p < 0.0001).

For other CVD outcomes, such as CVCmax response to ACh and SNP and MAP, there were also no significant differences between the 3 treatment groups. Overall, the study found improvements in cardiovascular disease outcomes at 3 and 6 months after quitting smoking, but this improvement did not differ significantly between treatment groups.