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By Steven Reinberg<\/b>
HealthDay Reporter<\/i><\/p>\n
TUESDAY, Sept. 8, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
The number of Americans using electronic cigarettes is soaring, especially among youth, a new study finds.<\/p>\n
Nearly 14 million U.S. adults vaped in 2018, up from just over 11 million adults in 2016. The increase was seen in all socioeconomic groups, the researchers found.<\/p>\n
“An increasing number of individuals are using e-cigarettes<\/a>, especially in the younger age groups, which suggests that more individuals are becoming addicted to e-cigarettes<\/a> rather than just experimenting with them, making the increased uptake among tobacco-naive individuals even more concerning,” said lead researcher Dr. Olufunmilayo Obisesan. She’s a postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention<\/a> of Cardiovascular Disease<\/a>, in Baltimore.<\/p>\n “The increase in e-cigarette<\/a> use among individuals with other health-risk behaviors is also concerning, particularly in light of the outbreak of e-cigarette<\/a> or vaping use-associated lung injuries that has been linked to the vaping of tetrahydrocannabinoids [THC],” she said. THC is the main mind-altering ingredient found in marijuana<\/a>.<\/p>\n Between 2016 and 2018, young adults aged 18 to 24 years old were the fastest-growing population to start using e-cigarettes. E-cigarette use in that age group increased from 9% in 2016 to 15% in 2018, and use among students increased from 6% in 2016 to 12% in 2018.<\/p>\n E-cigarette use even increased among people who had never smoked traditional cigarettes — from more than 1.4% in 2016 to 2.3% in 2018, the findings showed.<\/p>\n Also, people who were into other risky behaviors — such as drinking alcohol<\/a> and smoking<\/a> marijuana<\/a> — were more likely to use e-cigarettes, the study authors said.<\/p>\n For the study, the researchers collected data on more than one million Americans who took part in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 2016 to 2018.<\/p>\n “Increase in e-cigarette use among adults in the U.S., particularly daily use, is reflective of the addictive potential of e-cigarettes,” Obisesan said. “This is very important to note, particularly for the youth and for individuals who currently use or are considering using them as a means of experimentation.”<\/p>\n The report was published online Sept. 8 in JAMA Internal Medicine<\/i>.<\/p>\n Stanton Glantz, a professor of medicine at the Center for Tobacco Control, Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, said the increase in e-cigarette use is troubling because the health risks of e-cigarettes are similar to the risks linked to traditional cigarettes.<\/p>\n “I think there’s some things that are pretty clear now — one is in terms of lung disease. E-cigarettes are about as bad as cigarettes — you’re still breathing<\/a> in ultrafine particles, heavy metals and flavors that have high pulmonary toxicity,” he said.<\/p>\n Glantz also pointed out that the damage e-cigarettes can cause in the lungs<\/a> may also make COVID-19<\/a> infections more severe.<\/p>\n E-cigarette use has also been tied to an increased risk of heart disease<\/a>, and in animal experiments, to cancer<\/a> and DNA damage, he added.<\/p>\n The bottom line for Glantz is that e-cigarettes aren’t safe alternatives to regular cigarettes and often lead to dual use.<\/p>\n The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has the power to regulate e-cigarettes, and they could actually ban them, Glantz said.<\/p>\n “The FDA can simply say, we’re not going to allow these products to be sold,” he said. “In order to sell e-cigarettes in the United States, you need to have what’s called a marketing order. If the FDA doesn’t grant a marketing order, then the product can’t be sold. If the product can’t be legally sold, that will solve the problem.”<\/p>\n![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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