Healthy Lungs More Important Than Ever – So Why Put Smoke, Vape Or Cannabis In Them? – Scoop.co.nz

The Asthma and Respiratory Foundation NZ (ARFNZ) isurging people to look after their lungs as Omicron hitscommunities.

A new University of Otago study has foundthat prolonged cannabis use led to over-inflated lungs andincreased the resistance to airflow to a greater extent thantobacco.

ARFNZ Scientific Advisory Board Member andstudy co-author Professor Bob Hancox says: "Although theeffects of cannabis were detrimental, the pattern of lungfunction changes was not the same as in tobacco use. Thisstudy also found that cannabis use may impair the ability ofthe lungs to extract oxygen from the breath. This is a knownconsequence of smoking tobacco, but has not beendemonstrated with cannabis until now."

Another recentstudy from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, lookedat the effects of vaping on COVID-19 symptoms. Some 290COVID-positive vapers aged 18 and older were compared withsimilar-aged people who had COVID-19 but didn't vape. Thestudy found that those who vaped were more likely to reportchest pain, chills, headaches, muscle aches, nausea,vomiting, diarrhoea and the loss of smell or taste. Thesepatients also reported higher rates of laboured breathing,the new study findings showed.

ARFNZ Chief ExecutiveLetitia Harding says: "Studies show that people who smokeand/or use e-cigarettes are more likely to experience agreater number of COVID-19 symptoms when they becomeinfected."

ARFNZ is a strong advocate for Smokefree2025, and urges people to quit smoking, as the detrimentaleffects of tobacco are well known.

Letitia adds:"These studies are a warning to everyone during arespiratory pandemic: dont smoke tobacco, and if you area smoker, now is the time to quit; dont start vaping, anddont use cannabis. That way, youll give your lungs thebest chance against COVID-19."

For information on howto quit smoking go to quit.org.nz, forinformation on vaping and its effects on the lungs go to dontgetsuckedin.co.nz.

TheUS vaping study was recently published online in the Journalof Primary Care & Community Health .

Thecannabis study was recently published online in the AmericanJournal of Respiratory & Critical CareMedicine.

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Healthy Lungs More Important Than Ever - So Why Put Smoke, Vape Or Cannabis In Them? - Scoop.co.nz