Cigarette substitutes pose risk due to over-use

Alternatives to conventional smoking such as e-cigarettes may still pose a risk to human health due to over-use, a new research has warned.
Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide, researchers said. In order to overcome this addiction, many people resort to nicotine replacement therapies.
A recent literature review by researchers at the University of Miami (UM) suggest that small dosages of nicotine found in cigarette substitutes could be harmful to human musculoskeletal system, due to overuse.
The researchers investigated and summarised the last five years of studies, on the effect of nicotine on wound and skeletal healing processes in humans.

The report suggests that more information is needed on the potential effect of cigarette substitutes like Electronic cigarettes (E-cigarettes), which are fairly new to the market and not regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
"E-cigarettes are marketed as safe alternatives to cigarette smoking, however the harms associated with their overuse have not yet been widely investigated," said Herman S Cheung, James L Night Professor in the UM College of Engineering, and senior author of the report.

"We hope to increase awareness and promote further investigations into this field," said Cheung.
The findings show that nicotine can be beneficial at low dosages. For example, exposure to low dosages of nicotine promotes collagen production and skin wound repair.

Yet at higher dosages cells involved in the wound and skeletal healing processes actually become ineffective. That's why overuse of nicotine-replacement, which still contain small amounts of nicotine, can present a health risk. However, what constitutes a low or high dosage depends on the cell type.
"Not all cells respond to nicotine in the same manner. What could be a low dosage for one is a high dosage for another," said Carlos M Carballosa, doctoral student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the UM College of Engineering and primary author of this review.
"The effects are to some extent, reversible, once exposure to nicotine stops," said Carballosa.

The findings were published in the Global Journal of Medical Research.