Study busts claims by hookah bars that it is less hazardous
A new UCLA study has found that just 30 mins of hookah smoking resulted in cardiovascular risk factors similar to those seen with traditional cigarette smoking.
The findings are in direct contradiction to marketing efforts claiming that hookah (water pipe) smoking is less hazardous to health than cigarettes. The study was published in the American Journal of Cardiology.
Researchers measured heart rate, blood pressure, arterial stiffness, blood nicotine and exhaled carbon monoxide levels in 48 healthy, young hookah smokers before and after 30 minutes of hookah smoking. The study showed that a single session of hookah smoking increased heart rate (by 16 beats per minute) and blood pressure. It also significantly increased measures of arterial stiffness, a key risk factor in the development of cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack or stroke. The increase in arterial stiffness was comparable to data seen from cigarette smokers after smoking a cigarette.
A single session of hookah smoking increased heart rate (by 16 beats per minute) and blood pressure
“Our findings challenge the concept that fruit-flavored hookah tobacco smoking is a healthier tobacco alternative. It is not,” said Mary Rezk-Hanna, an assistant professor at the UCLA School of Nursing and lead author of the study.
This study is believed to be the first to investigate the effects of hookah smoking on stiffening of the arteries. Studies have shown that as cigarette use continues to decline, hookah smoking is rising, especially among youth and particularly among college students.
“We know that flavored tobacco products are frequently the first kind of tobacco product used by youth,” Rezk-Hanna said. “One of the major issues with hookah is the fact that the tobacco is flavored with fruit, candy and alcohol flavors, making hookah the most popular flavored tobacco product among this audience.”
While tobacco sale is regulated under strict laws, hookah bars are largely unregulated in most parts of the world.
