Association of cigarette and electronic cigarette use patterns with levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers among US adults: Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health study.

Research letter: The cardiovascular toxicity of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) is not well understood, and population data assessing the cardiovascular effects of e-cigarette use are sparse. In the present study, we used nationally represen-tative data to examine the association of cigarette and e-cigarette use behaviors with biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. Inflammation and oxidative stress are key contributors of smoking-induced cardiovascular disease, and related biomarkers have been studied as predictive factors for cardiovascular events. In this nationally representative population study of adults, we observed no difference in inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers between exclusive e-ciga-rette users and nonusers (no cigarettes or vaping), and levels were lower in exclusive e-cigarette users relative to exclusive smokers. These findings are consistent with recent population studies of inflammatory biomarker and toxicant exposure in users of e-cigarettes and ciga-rettes and highlight the importance of completely re-placing cigarette smoking with e-cigarettes or quitting the use of both products for cigarette smokers to derive potential health benefits.