Folks who think they are doing their DNA a favor by switching from smoking to vaping may be wrong Research involving young adults who vape or smoke found similar gene changes linked to a higher odds for lung cancer Vaping might make the disease more likely, just as smoking does TUESDAY, Aug. 13, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- New research suggests that switching from smoking to vaping won't prevent some dangerous changes to a person's genome. A new study conducted in young adults shows similar cancer-linked gene changes in both vapers and smokers .
“These findings have significant implications for public health and tobacco regulation that aim to keep vaping products away from young people, who are a particularly vulnerable population,” said study lead author Stella Tommasi . She's an associate professor of research population and public health sciences at the University of Southern California (USC), Los Angeles. At issue is a process called DNA "methylation," essentially an on/off switch for genes that tells DNA if it should operate.
The new study looked at the genetics of 30 young adults averaging 23.5 years of age. Some were exclusive e-cigarette users, vaping at least three times per week for at least six months; some were exclusive smokers, smoking at least three times per week for at least a year; and some neither vaped nor smoked.
Tommasi's group used a high-tech gene sequencing technique to look at the genomes of cells taken from each participant in cheek swabs. They fou.