You switched from cigarettes to a vape, thinking it was a safer choice. However, a concerning new study shows that vaping, even without nicotine, can harm your vascular health and raise the chances of heart disease and circulation problems.
While traditional cigarettes are packed with thousands of harmful substances, including tar and carcinogens, vaping does remove many of these dangers. Yet, the belief that nicotine-free vapes are entirely safe is now being questioned.
If you’ve never smoked before, starting to vape – even without nicotine – can pose unnecessary health risks, as highlighted by a recent study.
Researchers looked into how nicotine-free vaping compares to regular vaping and traditional smoking.
Before diving into the surprising findings, let’s go over some essential facts about vaping.
What is vaping?
E-cigarettes, often referred to as vapes, are devices powered by batteries that heat a liquid to produce an aerosol or vapor for inhalation. Unlike conventional cigarettes that burn tobacco and emit numerous harmful chemicals, vapes do not generate smoke or tar, leading many to believe they are a safer option.
The juice
E-liquid, commonly known as vape juice, consists of a blend of propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin, which together produce the dense vapor that users exhale. Although these components are safe for consumption, inhaling them poses different risks.
When heated, these ingredients can decompose into harmful substances that may irritate the lungs and airways, possibly resulting in:
Persistent coughing
Difficulty breathing
Lung inflammation.
Delicious tastes
The enticing flavors that draw people to vaping—whether they’re fruity, minty, or reminiscent of desserts—often come with harmful chemicals. Some of these include:
Diacetyl: Associated with a serious lung condition known as popcorn lung.
Benzaldehyde: A widely used flavoring that can irritate the respiratory system.
Heavy metals: Vape coils may release small amounts of lead, nickel, and tin into the vapor.
Even in the absence of nicotine, inhaling these substances over time can lead to lung damage and inflammation.
“You’re exposing yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we don’t yet understand and that are probably not safe,” stated Dr. Michael Blaha from Johns Hopkins Medicine.
Growing trend
Vaping is becoming increasingly popular, with “over 2 million U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2021, and more than 80% of those young users opting for flavored e-cigarettes,” according to Johns Hopkins.
Blaha expressed his worries about the increasing popularity of vaping, noting, “What troubles me the most is that individuals, particularly young people who might never have smoked, are starting to vape. Transitioning from cigarettes to vaping is one thing, but beginning nicotine use through vaping is a different issue entirely. Once someone becomes dependent on nicotine, it can often lead them to try traditional tobacco products later on.”
Surprising Findings
Researchers from a 2024 study aimed to explore whether the base liquids and flavoring agents in vaping could pose health risks.
To investigate this, they compared:
- Nicotine-free vapes
- Vapes with nicotine
- Traditional cigarettes
The results were unexpected: all three types showed significant negative impacts on blood vessel function, indicating that nicotine isn’t the sole factor contributing to vaping dangers.
The study specifically noted that “the decline in vascular function was most significant after using nicotine-containing e-cigarettes, followed by those without nicotine.”
Dr. Marianna Nabbout, one of the researchers, stated, “This study emphasizes the immediate effects that smoking and vaping can have on various vascular systems in the human body.”
Moreover, she added, “If the immediate use of an e-cigarette can lead to noticeable effects on blood vessels, it’s likely that long-term use could result in vascular diseases.”
If you’ve been using vaping as a supposedly safer alternative to smoking, this new research might make you reconsider!
What do you think about vaping? We’d love to hear your thoughts, and please share this information so others can be informed about the health risks associated with vaping!
