Vaping, which has become increasingly popular among young people, could be more dangerous than originally thought, a new study says. E-cigarettes could put smokers at risk of heart disease, the small study published in the journal JAMA Cardiology Wednesday shows.

Researchers studied a group of 42 individuals, including 23 people use electronic cigarettes regularly and 19 non-smokers, with the average age of participants being 27-years-old. The study was based on cases from participants during 2015 to 2016 analyzed by the University of California, Los Angeles.

Regular vaping is linked to a shift in cardiac autonomic balance toward sympathetic predominance and increased oxidative stress, which means vaping is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, the study concluded.

Another study, published by the National Institutes of Health, also linked e-cigarettes to changes in oxidative stress. Researchers of both studies say further research is needed to clarify health effects of e-cigarette smoking.

Vaping On The Rise

The surgeon general of the United States recently declared the rising use of vaping by young adults to be unsafe.

Vaping has spiked among teenagers, with more teens vaping than ever, according to a December 2016 CDC report. Nearly 38 percent of high school students and almost 14 percent of those in middle school have reportedly tried e-cigarettes. Smoking of e-cigarettes is on the rise among young people because of curiosity about the devices and its low cost, a study published medical journal Pediatrics on September 2016 said.

Correction: This story was updated to clarify that while the study does indicate an increase in risk of heart disease that does not mean vaping is as harmful as real cigarettes.

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