E-cigarette use remains controversial despite it being seen as an alternative to cigarettes. Much is still needed to be known about the effects of long term e-cigarette use. A study reveals that college students get depression with e-cigarette use.
Many scientists and researchers continue to question the health safety of e-cigarettes. This is despite e-cigarettes being said to be the replacement to cigarettes. Adding to this doubt on e-cigarettes is a study that shows its link to depression.
A study made by researchers from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UT Health) has found that there is a link between depression and e-cigarette use. Frank Bandiera, Ph.D. is lead author and assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology, Human Genetics and Environmental Sciences. He has said that the study is the first to show the link between depression and e-cigarette use.
The study has been made on 5,445 undergraduate students from 24 colleges in Texas. The study has found that students who had elevated levels of depression were more likely to use e-cigarettes within 6 months than those who aren't depressed. The study has also found that e-cigarette use did not raise depression any further.
Bandiera has said that it is not yet known why depression would lead to e-cigarette use. It could be that e-cigarette use might be a form of self-therapy, according to UTHealth. Students might use e-cigarettes as a way to deal with stress. He has also noted that e-cigarettes have less nicotine than cigarettes.
Data for the study has been taken from the Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science on Youth and Young Adults (Texas TCORS). College students have been studied since e-cigarette use is higher among adolescents and young adults, as Science Daily reports. The use of nicotine among the age group can lead to dependence on it later in life.
E-cigarette use is still being studied. Most researchers are still not sure what e-cigarette's effect is in the long term. College students get depression with e-cigarette use. A study has found that e-cigarette liquids have toxic metals.
