Vaping & Diabetes Myth…
You may have seen some stupid headlines recently linking Vaping with Prediabetes – it has now been shown to be bin-worthy!
The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) have published an article debunking this and some other recent Vape Scares such as bone damage and erectile dysfunction.
The diabetes claim was due to an article in the AJPM (American Journal of Preventative Medicine).
The conclusions in this stated…
In this representative sample of U.S. adults, E-cigarette use was associated with greater odds of prediabetes. The results were consistent in sole E-cigarette users.
The ACSH article highlights the reasons why the diabetes link is a poor one…
- This was conducted as a telephone survey, CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) sponsored. Therefore no actual media data was used.
- A vaper was classed as someone who has used an e-cigarette at least once in their life. Could have only been once many years ago!
- If you answered “yes” to having used an e-cigarette you were asked how often – every day, some days or not at all. Those choosing “every day” or “some days” were classed as current vapers. Those who responded “not at all” were classed as former vapers.
- Prediabetes occurence was found at 9% for vapers, 13.4% in current smokers, 5.9% for vapers who have never smoked and 10.2% for those who vape and smoke. What about those who don’t smoke or vape? What is the rate? How can you prove vaping increases the risk without a control group?
- Those who vaped and had Prediabetes could have started vaping after the diagnosis.
- Diet, weight and lifestyle were not considered and in the “limitations” section of the study this is said…
Limitations of this study include self-report of tobacco use and lack of medical confirmation of prediabetes and other diet information. BRFSS is a cross-sectional survey, so a causal relationship between E-cigarette use and prediabetes cannot be inferred. Another potential limitation is recall bias. In addition, the authors do not have information on gaining weight for the former E-cigarette users, which might lead to misinformation bias.
You can read the full ACSH article here – Ignore The Headlines: There’s No Science Linking Vaping To Prediabetes.
Does Banning Work?
An article on Pub.Med titled “The Impact of Banning Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems on Combustible Cigarette Sales: Evidence From US State-Level Policies” discusses how vape bans affect the sale of tobacco products.
In 2019 many states in the US banned sales of e-cigarettes in response to the totally unrelated EVALI outbreak. Banning ENDS (Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems) may have had unintended consequences preventing people switching from smoking to vaping.
Unsurprisingly the ban on ENDS increased cigarette sales in states with the ban. Therefore the study proves that banning ENDS will increase cigarette sales – no shit Sherlock!
Read the article here and you can also download the full study.
Daily Mail Shock
The “Doom-mongering” UK newspaper the Daily Mail has published a rare vape-friendly article! Honestly!
The headline states “E-cigarettes are NOT a gateway into regular smoking for teenagers, major study finds”.
Wow this is pretty epic!
The article cites research from the University College London (UCL) and how the study found no significant links between vaping leading to smoking.
It also mentions that the LGA (Local Government Associated) have urged the UK Government to cut VAT on vape products to help smokers quit.
Included is a graph – shown below – which shows how many 16-24 year olds vape (black) and smoke cigarettes (red).
The study results are taken from the Addiction journal and published on the Wiley Online Library website here.
The findings of this study state…
There was evidence for no association between the prevalence of e-cigarette use and ever regular smoking among those aged 16–24.
Nicely done Daily Mail!
UKVIA Webinar
To help retailers stay on the right side of tobacco control the UKVIA (UK Vaping Industry Association) will be holding a Webinar on 23rd March at 9:30am.
To counter all the “underage sales” arguments of those who want to attack vaping – it is essential any underage sales are wiped out.
📣The UKVIA will be hosting a webinar on Youth Access, Standards and Compliance
💬We’re taking action against illegal, counterfeit & youth restricted products. We will bring together key industry stakeholders from retailers to enforcement
Register here: https://t.co/ud8hamGOG5 pic.twitter.com/H2FMBtvBBx
— UKVIA (@Vaping_Industry) March 15, 2022
Also the issue of illegal and Counterfeit products will be covered.
Cut VAT On Vape Products
Reading an article on the ITV News channel there seems to be a growing urge to cut VAT on vape products to 5%.
Currently they are taxed at 20% – whereas NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) such as Patches are only charged at 5%. So it makes sense to bring e-cigarettes into the NRT VAT category.
The LGA (Local Government Association) are the ones calling for this as current legislation allows a 5% VAT rate to be applied to “Pharmaceutical products designed to help people stop smoking tobacco”.
You can read the LGA article here.
Shenzhen Shut Down
Due to an increase in Covid cases China has placed 17 million residents in Shenzhen on lockdown for a week.
I have been reading articles about it on Sky News and the Hong Kong Free Press.
This has vaping implications as many of the large vape brands are based in this city.
Covid-19: 17 million locked down in Shenzhen as virus cases double nationwide
The lockdown and public transport suspension is due to end on 20th March 2022 according to a government notice, plus there will be three rounds of mass testing.
Shenzhen shares a land border crossing with Hong Kong and also has a large population of Migrant workers and the increase in infections in Hong Kong has caused huge concern.
All businesses except those providing essential goods such as fuel and food have been ordered to close or work from home.
Fasttech who has a warehouse in Shenzhen have released this statement…
Dear Valued Customers,
FastTech’s warehouse is located in Shenzhen, China, where a 17-million people lockdown was announced within last night. A majority of FastTech’s staff are now confined to their homes by the Chinese government.
TL;DR Orders awaiting shipment will be delayed by 1 week. Customer service remains available throughout the lockdown. US warehouse products will ship next-day, as usual.
I am not sure of the implications of this on supplies of vape stuff – but it is worth bearing in mind the supply chain might be interrupted.
Vaping During Pregnancy
A website called “bumps” – which stands for “Best Use of Medicines in Pregnancy” has updated its smoking related advice.
Bumps is provided by the UKTIS (UK Teratology Information Service) and is funded by Public Health England so it should be pretty reliable.
It discusses NRT (Nicotine Replacement Therapy) and also includes a section on E-cigarettes.
The guidance includes this…
However, many healthcare professionals believe that vaping exposes the baby to fewer toxic chemicals than smoking. Vaping may therefore be an option for pregnant women who cannot stop smoking using other nicotine replacement products.
You can read the factsheet here.
Final Thought
Reminder: Nicotine gum is, literally, a candy.
It comes in fruit medley, cherry, cinnamon, mint and menthol flavors (but not tobacco flavor).
And no teens use it. It’s on the @WHO‘s Essential Drugs List. And it delivers #SaferNicotine.
Isn’t #TobaccoControl weird? pic.twitter.com/uxcY74ogMC
— Charles A. Gardner, PhD (@ChaunceyGardner) March 15, 2022
Yeah flavours you know – they are dangerous… rolls eyes and shakes head!
I hope you all have a great week and see you here again next Friday!
