Fruit-flavored e-cigarettes may alter the activity of genes linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, and lung disease, according to a new study.
A recent study published in the international journal Frontiers in Oncology found that the expression patterns of a total of 3,124 genes differed in e-cigarette users compared with a non-smoking, non-vaping group, Britain's Daily Mail reported Tuesday.
Researchers analyzed gene activity in 83 people, including e-cigarette users, conventional smokers, and non-smokers. In e-cigarette users, genes related to cancer, heart disease, and lung disease were found to be abnormally activated or suppressed.
The gene changes were found to be influenced more by the type of flavoring than by frequency of use. Fruit-flavored e-cigarettes were associated with 31% of all altered genes, and when multiple flavors were mixed, the proportion rose to as high as 64.3%. By contrast, sweet flavors accounted for 2.9% and mint and menthol flavors just 0.9%.
"This suggests that flavorings and device characteristics play a key role in the biological changes caused by e-cigarettes," said Professor Ahmad Besaratinia, who led the study.
Researchers also collected oral mucosal cells from participants and analyzed them using RNA sequencing techniques, finding that e-cigarette users showed greater variability in gene expression than conventional smokers. Further analysis showed that these changes were linked to biological pathways related to cancer as well as endocrine, digestive, and nervous system diseases, with the strongest association found in cancer-related pathways.
However, the researchers stressed that this study alone cannot conclude that e-cigarettes directly cause cancer or chronic diseases. The limitations are that the study was not large in scale and was not a long-term follow-up study. The researchers warned that while e-cigarettes may be less harmful than conventional cigarettes, they are not a harmless product, and that harmful chemicals produced during the liquid-heating process can cause cell damage and inflammatory responses.
The number of e-cigarette users in Korea is on the rise. According to the "2025 Community Health Survey" released by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, while the smoking rate for conventional cigarettes has declined, the total smoking population has not decreased significantly as e-cigarette users have grown. The number of smokers among Korean adults is estimated at approximately 8.1 million.
