65 5.11: Significance in Health and Disease

Exposure to nicotine and electronic cigarettes can cause oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction. This can accelerate aging and disease. Examples of diseases caused by mitochondrial dysfunction include neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, and cardiovascular disease (Zahedi et al.). Impaired autophagy, increased protein oxidation, and mtDNA aggregation are involved in advanced aging (Zahedi et al., 2019). Furthermore, any damage to stem cells can result in significant impacts on a developing embryo or infant. Exposure to nicotine can affect the fetus by changing pathways in the brain that are critical for motor, cognitive, and behavioural responses (Zahedi et al., 2019). Therefore, electronic cigarettes and nicotine products are not as safe as they may seem.