Cinnamon flavour are slowing sperm down and bubblegum flavour is killing off cells in the testes, scientists have revealed
https://www.thesun.co.uk/living/2549322/e-cigarettes-damage-a-mans-fertility-and-these-flavours-are-the-most-dangerous/
E-CIGARETTES could reduce a bloke’s chances of becoming a dad, experts have warned.
Toxic chemicals in the flavourings used in the devices have been found to damage a man’s fertility, new findings suggest.
In particular cinnamon flavoured e-cigs were found to make sperm slower swimmers, the latest study to raise health concerns about the devices found.
And, another popular flavour, bubblegum, kills off cells in the testicles which help produce sperm.
There are more than 2.6 million users of e-cigarettes in the UK, but experts warn the devices are not as safe as people may think.
Researchers at University College London found, even when no nicotine is included, e-cigarette flavourings could affect men’s chances of starting a family, the Daily Mail reported.
It is widely accepted, and backed up by scientific evidence, that regular cigarettes damage the DNA in sperm.
But, until now the dangers posed by e-cigs were not known.
The devices are sold and marketed as a healthier alternative to smoking, and used by many to try and stop their habit.
However, concerns have been raised that while the devices are useful to smokers wanting to quit, they are acting as a gateway, encouraging non-smokers to take up the dangerous habit.
The latest study comes after scientists at the University of Salford found e-cigarette flavourings like butterscotch and menthol kill of bronchial cells in the lungs, increasing the risk of damage.
The experts studied 20 liquid refills in nine flavours – cherry, strawberry, ice-mint, menthol, tobacco, blueberry, vanilla, bubble-gum and butterscotch – bought from shops, chemists and over the internet.
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In tests on human lung tissue, both embryo and adult cells were exposed to vapour at a range of concentrations over 24, 48 and 72 hours.
All proved toxic to the cells, with fruit flavours having less impact than other flavours, the researchers noted.
Now, scientists fear the devices are harming mens’ fertility.
Dr Helen O’Neill, who presented her findings at the British Fertility Conference in Edinburgh yesterday, said chemicals such as coumarin, a cheaper version of cinnamon bark and found in e-cig liquids, are “damaging to sperm”.
She said: “In terms of motility, progression and concentration of sperm, there was a detrimental effect.
“Vaping is less harmful than conventional cigarettes, but nonetheless they are not without their harmful effects,” the Mail reported.
To arrive at their findings Dr O’Neill and her colleagues took sperm samples from 30 men.
The researchers then exposed the samples to two flavours of e-cig liquid – cinnamon and bubblegum.
They found the bubblegum flavour was found to be most damaging to the testicles, causing a condition called apoptosis, where cells are killed off.
Meanwhile, sperm exposed to high concentrations of the cinnamon flavour chemicals were found to be slower swimmers.
There are currently around 7,000 different e-cigarette flavours available to buy.
Yet, Dr O’Neill and her colleagues warn in their study: “Presently, there are no regulations on the use of these products.”
Many are only regulated as foodstuffs, based on being consumed rather than inhaled.
Public Health England has endorsed the use of e-cigarettes to help smokers to quit the habit with 20,000 citing them as helping them to quit in 2014.
Vaping is less harmful than conventional cigarettes, but nonetheless they are not without their harmful effects
Dr Helen O’NeillUniversity College London
But Action on Smoking and Health has called for e-cigarettes to be treated like other lit tobacco products until there is firm scientific evidence that they are not harmful.
Researchers at the University of Salford found after more than 72 hours of exposure to e cigarette chemicals, cells in the lungs did not recover.
Dr Patricia Ragazzon of the biomedical research centre at the university said: “We are talking about flavours which are normally ingested in food where tissue is much different from tissue in the lungs.
“The composition of refills is highly irregular – some are natural flavours, some are single compounds, some are synthetic flavours, – there are so many varied products on the market, it’s difficult to gauge their harmfulness.
“Our work supports the opinion that e-cigarettes and especially the ingredients of the e-liquid, which can change in structure after the process of heating, have not been thoroughly characterised or evaluated for safety.”
Both studies called for further research into the harmful effects of electronic cigarettes and better regulation of the devices internationally.