Association of Cigarette and Electronic Cigarette Use Patterns With Levels of Inflammatory and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers Among US Adults

Research letter: The cardiovascular toxicity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is not well understood, and population data assessing the cardiovascular effects of e-cigarette use are sparse. In the present study, we used nationally represen-tative data to examine the association of cigarette and e-cigarette use behaviors with biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Inflammation and oxidative stress are key contributors of smoking-induced cardiovascular disease, and related biomarkers have been studied as predictive factors for cardiovascular events.
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\nIn this nationally representative population study of adults, we observed no difference in inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers between exclusive e-ciga-rette users and nonusers (no cigarettes or vaping), and levels were lower in exclusive e-cigarette users relative to exclusive smokers. These findings are consistent with recent population studies of inflammatory biomarker and toxicant exposure in users of e-cigarettes and ciga-rettes and highlight the importance of completely re-placing cigarette smoking with e-cigarettes or quitting the use of both products for cigarette smokers to derive potential health benefits.