association between electronic cigarette use and metabolic syndrome in the Korean general population: a nationwide population-based study.

Objectives
Although smoking is known to have a negative impact in patients with metabolic syndrome
(MetS), only a few studies have examined the association between electronic cigarette (ecig)
use and MetS.
Methods
Among 22,948 participants in the 6th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,
14,738 (13,459 [91.3%] never, 954 [6.5%] ever, and 325 [2.2%] current e-cig users)
were selected. The relationship between e-cig exposure and MetS (based on the National
Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel [NCEP-ATP] III criteria) was evaluated
using a multivariable logistic regression analysis. An unweighted analysis was performed
to evaluate this association without a sampling weight. A subgroup analysis was
performed among active smokers to compare dual users with never e-cig users.
Results
Among current e-cig users, 85.0% were dual users, 12.7% were former cigarette users, and
2.2% were only e-cig users. After adjustment for covariates, abdominal obesity and hypertriglyceridemia
were significantly associated with current e-cig exposure (odds ratio [OR]:
1.88, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.41–2.50 and OR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.00–1.74 respectively
[compared with the never e-cig users group]). Compared with never e-cig users, current ecig
users showed an OR of 1.27 (95% CI: 0.96–1.70, Ptrend = 0.01) for MetS. In the
unweighted analysis, the OR for MetS in current e-cig users was 1.40 (95% CI: 1.08–1.81,
Ptrend <0.01). Compared with never e-cig users, dual users showed a higher OR for abdominal
obesity (OR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.25–2.34, Ptrend <0.001).

Kim T, Choi h, Kang J, Kim J. association between electronic cigarette use and metabolic syndrome in the Korean general population: a nationwide population-based study. PloS one. 2020;15(8):1. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0237983