We all know that cigarette smoking has a negative impact on health.. General doctors and other health care professionals should especially try to help people quit smoking. Some people, however, switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes, assuming that the latter is a safer alternative. Surprisingly, research reveals that some contents of e-cigarettes could be as risky as tobacco.

The smoke of cigarettes impairs the immune responses of mucosal cells in the respiratory system. Because of the known health effects, people stop smoking cigarettes and use e-cigarettes instead. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may have classified e-cigarette as a safer alternative. Researchers point out, however, that this classification means they are safe for oral consumption. But people do not consume e-cigarette flavourings orally as they are inhaled. The environment of the digestive system is very different than our respiratory system, so the effects of e-cigarettes on the lungs are unknown.

In one study, researchers obtained tissue samples from the epithelial layer inside the nasal cavities of smokers, non-smokers and e-cigarette users to analyse changes in the expressions of nearly 600 genes involved in immune responses. In e-cigarette users, the researchers found the same genetic changes, as well as suppression of additional immune genes, as those found in the samples from cigarette smokers. The findings imply that e-cigarettes have an even broader effect on the respiratory mucosal immune response system than conventional cigarettes.

So, quitting cigarettes but starting to smoke e-cigarettes may not be such a good idea. The best thing you can do is quit smoking in all its forms.

Read the full article: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/306444.php