A Respiratory Physician, Dr Cafetan Onyedum, has advised smokers against e-cigarettes, saying although they were perceived as safer, the way they affected the body suggested otherwise.
Onyedum noted, in an interview with our correspondent, that E-cigarettes did not contain tobacco like the regular cigarette but they still held plenty of nicotine, and could cause the same nicotine-related heart problems as regular smokes.
According to experts, e-cigarettes, also known as vaporisers, are battery-powered devices that heat up a mixture of nicotine, a flavouring and a liquid – usually propylene glycol or glycerol– into a vapour for users to inhale.
The respiratory physician said, “The problem is that, the nicotine in e-cigarettes causes a release of dopamine throughout the body, which often leads to nicotine addiction.”
Onyedum added that the device contained a liquid substance that vaporised when heated.
“The conversion from liquid to vapour contains some unknown chemical substances that could be dangerous to the health. Research is still being done on the device to determine all its long and short-term side effects,” he said.
However, recent research shows that many of the health problems that traditional cigarette smokers face persist with e-cigarettes, due to the devices’ nicotine content and other chemicals in the liquid.
Onyedum advised that smoking should be stopped because there is no medical advice that encourages even moderate smoking.
“You are better off avoiding e-cigarettes altogether,” he added.
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