(CNN) A new study is the latest to show changes in cardiovascular function after vaping e-liquids, though in this case, those liquids didn't even contain nicotine.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal Radiology , concluded that vaping temporarily impacts blood vessel function in healthy people. Using MRI scans, it found, for example, changes in blood flow within the femoral artery in the leg after just one use. The researchers couldn't determine which chemical might be responsible for the changes they observed.

"After a few minutes, everything normalizes. One could say, big deal, nothing happens," said study author Felix W. Wehrli, professor of radiologic science and biophysics at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine.

"But if someone vapes regularly," Wehrli continued, there's a possibility that, over time, things might not go back to normal as readily. The changes his team measured in 31 people, who had never vaped or smoked, reflect "the same processes ... known to be initiating steps in the development of cardiovascular disease," including atherosclerosis. But that takes years to develop, he added.

The study is the most recent addition to a proliferation of research aiming to measure the impact of e-cigarettes on the heart, blood vessels, lungs and brain. But experts say the research remains in its early stages, often taking place in the lab or in animals