Vaping Medical Facts: The Science Behind Vaping

The use of e-cigarettes has increased significantly over the past few years, which is why the medical community is keen on knowing its possible health effects in both the short and long term.

Vaping, as we all know, is the use of vapes or electronic nicotine delivery systems to inhale and exhale vapor. The vapor, more accurately known as aerosol, is often packed with nicotine and other chemicals that were vaporized by coils found inside vaping devices. 

Since tobacco is nowhere to be found in vapes and e-liquids, many people believe that vaping can be a safer and healthier alternative to smoking cigarettes. Many health experts, however, suggest that vaping can still bring some risks to one’s health: let’s find out about the most important vaping medical facts.

Can Vaping Harm My Health?

For a long time, thousands of studies around the world have already confirmed and concluded that smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products can be bad for your health due to the inhalation of tar, carcinogens, and others. These studies are widely available since many people have been smoking for decades or even centuries.

On the other hand, vaping is a relatively new activity. Since the first release of modern vapes in the market, studies associated with their health effects are only minimal. One modern vape you can try today is the Geek Bar Pulse Disposable Vape.

Regardless, medical science can still determine the potential risks of vaping by studying the compounds released by the vape aerosol and how they react to the body system when inhaled.

Nicotine, a substance that makes smoking and vaping addictive, is often present in vaping juices. When inhaled, it can slow down your brain development, especially if you are still young.

Moreover, vaping can release dangerous chemicals like diacetyl, heavy metals, cancer-causing chemicals, and volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Inhaling these chemicals can be harmful to your lungs, especially if you vape regularly for a long time.

Health Risks of Vaping With Nicotine

One of the substances found in e-liquids is nicotine. It is an addictive and harmful substance often found in cigarettes, cigars, and other tobacco products. Upon entering your body, nicotine can elevate your blood pressure, heart rate, and blood flow to your heart. It can also temporarily relax your body immediately. 

What makes nicotine addictive is the belief that it can reduce one’s stress and anxiety. Hence, many people smoke whenever they feel stressed. This, however, leads to withdrawal symptoms and increased cravings. 

With nicotine present in most vaping products, it can also create a sense of relaxation among vape users. This substance, unfortunately, may also hurt your heart as it can raise your blood pressure and narrow your arteries. Even your brain development can be affected if you continuously use vaping devices with nicotine.

What Are the Side Effects of Vaping?

The side effects of vaping depend on many things. They include your vaping habits and the composition of your e-liquid.

Some short-term side effects of regular vaping are coughing, dry and irritated mouth and throat, shortness of breath, eye irritation, headaches, and nausea. While these side effects are often associated with vapor inhalation, not everyone may experience these perceived symptoms. 

Vaping too much nicotine, however, may yield more potential side effects. They include restlessness, agitation, anxiety, insomnia, rash, irregular heartbeat, and increased blood pressure. These side effects can often last around 1-2 hours. So, if you start to get the jitters or experience headaches, you should take a break from vaping.

Research Suggests Vaping Is Bad for Your Heart

Vaping not only poses risks to your lungs but it can also affect your heart negatively.

A review in 2017 concluded that individuals who already have some form of heart disease may develop more risks to their heart and circulatory systems if they use vapes. 

In 2018, a report from the National Academies Press titled Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes then found out that taking a puff from a vaping device with nicotine content may lead to an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. Over time, this can worsen your heart health, leading to other diseases and illnesses.

A different study in the same year analyzed and used data from different national health surveys. It found out that daily vaping, regardless of one’s lifestyle, can lead to an increased risk of heart attack.

In 2019, studies related to e-cigarette use and heart diseases were conducted. One of the studies concluded that people who use e-cigarettes are more likely to develop heart disease. Another study associated e-cigarette use with increasing one’s risk of having stroke, heart attack, angina, and heart disease.

Vaping Can Impact the Lungs and Airways

When you inhale the vapor from the e-cigarettes, the compounds it contains will immediately enter your lungs and airways as well as cross over into your bloodstream. They then lead to issues in your lungs and respiratory system.

One of them is bronchiolitis obliterans or BO. Known as popcorn lung, it is a rare condition caused by damaged lungs’ small airways. This disease is associated with exposure to diacetyl, a food additive that is used as a flavoring for e-liquid. Inhaling this compound may lead to permanent scars in the smallest branches of the airways, making breathing difficult. Some symptoms of this condition are coughing, wheezing, chest pain, and shortness of breath.

Lipoid pneumonia is another lung disease that is caused by vaping. This disease develops when the oily substances from the e-liquid enter the lungs through inhalation, sparking an inflammatory response. Notable symptoms of lipoid pneumonia include chronic cough, shortness of breath, and coughing up blood or blood-tinged mucus.

One more disease related to vaping is a collapsed lung or primary spontaneous pneumothorax. This condition occurs when a hole exists in the lung, permitting the oxygen to escape. Normally, only tall, thin people are prone to collapsed lungs due to rapid growth during adolescence. Now, it can also occur due to vaping. You may possess a collapsed lung if you feel some sharp chest or shoulder pain, encounter shortness of breath, or have difficulty breathing.

While different studies have already determined the impact of vaping on lungs and airways, the full extent of lung health effects from vape use can only be seen thoroughly after 2 to 3 decades.

Effects of Nicotine on Kids and Teens

Exposure to nicotine at a young age can be dangerous. 

This compound can harm the brain development of teens and young adults who use vaping products. It can basically impact their memory, attention span, and learning ability. It can also increase their risk of getting addicted to other harmful substances like drugs.

Frequent nicotine exposure may even lead to nicotine addiction. Teens who use e cigarettes with nicotine can become addicted to the substance. The more you use vapes, the more your brain and body crave nicotine. If you suddenly stop using a vaping device, your body’s nicotine level will drop, causing unpleasant physical symptoms and a strong urge to vape more.

Aside from using vape, nicotine may also harm teens and kids if they accidentally swallow or touch e-liquids, which can lead to nicotine poisoning. Even in small amounts, it can already be fatal to young children. If they have been exposed to e-liquids and manifest symptoms like sweating, vomiting, dizziness, and increased heart rate, they should be brought to the nearest hospital right away.

For a nicotine-free vape, go for the Caffeine Styx Vape.

Electronic Cigarettes May Not Be the Most Effective Method for Quitting Smoking

Vape companies and even some government agencies in some parts of the world have promoted vaping as an alternative tool for smoking cessation.

For them, vaping can help smokers quit smoking as it is generally less harmful. Cigarettes are filled with tobacco products that release cancer-causing chemicals and tiny particles when burned. The cigarette smoke then enters the lungs, leading to lung disease and other illnesses. Others may even inhale secondhand smoke, causing coronary heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and other diseases.

Vapes do not burn tobacco products. Instead, they vaporize e-liquid and turn it into aerosols. When inhaled, a vape user can get the same throat hit of cigarettes without the chemicals produced by burning tobacco. If you like a sleek-looking vape, you should buy the STLTH Type C Vape Battery Device.

Electronic cigarettes, however, are not the most effective method for quitting cigarette smoking.

Given the amount of nicotine present in most vapes, many smokers may still crave nicotine. And if they are not yet satisfied with the nicotine hit of e cigarettes, they may revert to cigarettes in no time.

Some adults may even use vapes alongside cigarettes, which is known as dual use. While they are trying to cut back on smoking cigarettes, smokers turn to electronic cigarettes as another method of consuming nicotine. But based on recent research, many adults just ended up using e-cigarettes and traditional cigarettes concurrently instead of ditching the latter.

Vaping Carries Fewer Risks Than Smoking, Yet It Remains Far From Being Entirely Safe

Compared to smoking, vaping truly carries fewer risks. But, the risks of using vapes and e cigarettes are nowhere safe.

E-cigarettes vaporize nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals to generate aerosols that vape users inhale. These aerosols with heated compounds can be harmful to your health when you inhale them regularly.

An outbreak of injuries and deaths related to vaping has even been recorded in the past few years. In February 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tallied more than 2,500 cases of EVALI or e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury. Among these cases are 68 deaths. Note that these cases involve people who modify their vapes or buy black market modified e-liquids. These products must not be used or purchased. 

However, even using authorized, long-lasting vapes and e-liquids can still be harmful. A research study by The Johns Hopkins University in October 2021 reveals that vape products are composed of thousands of chemical ingredients, with some of them identified as harmful substances often linked to respiratory irritation and other toxic effects.

Some substances found in vapes and e-liquids are aldehydes like acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde, acrolein, VOCs like benzene, and heavy metals like nickel, tin, and lead.

Vaping, despite being promoted as an alternative to smoking, remains far from being entirely safe. Hence, you must take some precautions in trying and using vape products. Aside from medical facts, here are some more things you must know about vaping.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Some Medical Facts About Vaping?

One medical fact about vaping is that it is less harmful than smoking. However, it is not entirely safe. It can trigger side effects in users, especially if they have consumed too much nicotine. Another medical fact about vaping is it can potentially affect your heart and lungs. The use of vapes can likewise lead to nicotine addiction. 

What Are the Health Risks of Vaping?

Vaping regularly may pose health risks to adults, especially to the circulatory and respiratory systems. Some of these health risks include stroke, heart attack, angina, and heart disease. Vaping can also lead to bronchiolitis obliterans, lipoid pneumonia, and collapsed lungs. Teens who use vapes can likewise affect their brain development, causing them issues with their memory, learning, and attention.

What Are the Alarming Facts About Vaping?

One alarming fact about vaping is it continues to encourage young people to try e cigarettes despite having no experience in cigarette smoking. It has also led to dual use, which involves the usage of both cigarettes and vapes to attain nicotine hits. An EVALI outbreak has likewise been reported due to using modified vapes and e-liquids.

Summary

Vape use has led to medical concerns due to the rising cases of lung and heart-related injuries and deaths. It has also encouraged smokers who just want to lessen or quit smoking to use e cigarettes concurrently with cigarettes, which is the total opposite of vaping’s intended goal. More and more young people and teens are even enticed to use vapes.

While the long-term health effects of vaping are yet to be discovered, medical research and studies have already revealed that vaping is still indeed harmful. Given the number of chemicals and compounds released through the vapors, it is clear that vaping should be done moderately. Vapes should also not be used solely as a smoking cessation tool.

Consulting with experts is still necessary if you want to minimize or quit smoking and vaping. But if you want to lessen your smoking or vaping habits while consuming small amounts of nicotine, you can explore nicotine pouches.