Medical News Observer

Researchers found that regular e-cigarette exposure may lead to an accumulation of fat in the liver. Their conclusion was based on an animal study on mice. These research findings are presented at ENDO 2018, the Endocrine Society’s 100th annual meeting in Chicago, Illinois.

This study was led by Theodore C. Friedman, M.D., Ph.D., Chairman of the Department of Internal Medicine and Endowed Professor of Cardio-Metabolic Medicine at Charles R. Drew University of Medicine & Science in Los Angeles, California.

In this research study, researchers studied mice without apolipoprotein E gene as these are more prone to developing heart disease and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Study randomized these mice into two groups one was exposed to saline aerosol and other to e-cigarette smoke. Both were fed the same diet. Researchers analyzed liver samples from both mice. They then examined gene expression by using RNA sequence analysis and found that mice which were exposed to e-cigarette smoke had changes in 433 genes associated with fatty liver and circadian rhythm dysfunction.

It is noted that non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and liver is associated with nicotine use and circadian rhythm dysfunction.

Adapted from press release by the Endocrine Society.