sea salt nice

Vaping vs. smoking: Long-term effects, benefits, and risks

Risks of vaping

People who vape may be at risk of harm from: Nicotine: E-cigarettes can contain a large dose of nicotine, a substance known to slow the development of brains in fetuses, children, and teens. Dangerous chemicals: The liquid that creates the vapor is dangerous to adults and children if they swallow, inhale, or get it on their skin. Vaping also delivers toxins such as diacetyl, cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to the lungs. Lung injury: E-cigarette, or vaping, product use-associated lung injury (EVALI) is a new phenomenon that occurs as a result of vaping. Most cases occur due to products that contain tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which comes from cannabis. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), by early 2020, there had been around 2,800 cases of EVALI, with 68 of those resulting in death.

Risks of smoking

Unlike vaping, which is relatively new, there are years of research to back up claims that smoking is damaging to health. According to the CDC, smoking causes: damage to every organ in the body, more than 480,000 deaths a year in the United States, 90% of all lung cancer deaths, about 80% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an increased risk of developing health conditions, such as heart disease and stroke, an increased risk of death.

Long-term effects of smoking

Smoking has many long-term adverse effects on the body. The CDC reports that smoking: reduces sperm count, increases the risk of pregnancy loss and congenital disabilities, increases the risk of cataracts, impairs immune system function, increases general inflammation, can cause cancer in nearly any part of the body, including the lungs, kidneys, and stomach, triggers asthma attacks, causes blockages in the veins and arteries, increases the risk of a stroke.

Long-term effects of vaping

Research generally accepts that while vaping can harm the lungs and other bodily systems, its impact is much less than tobacco smoking. However, a 2019 study into the long-term health effects of vaping found that people using e-cigarettes had a higher risk of respiratory disease than people who never smoked. Vaping may: damage the lungs, release free radicals, which promote cancer development, into the body, weaken the immune system, delay brain development in fetuses, children, and teenagers. Some people also report sustaining burns when recharging e-cigarettes due to defective batteries leading to explosions.

Quitting smoking and vaping

Health services in the United Kingdom say that vaping can be an effective tool for quitting smoking. Additionally, in 2021, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) permitted the marketing of three e-cigarette products, specifically citing their potential benefit in helping people quit smoking. However, the CDC states that there is insufficient evidence to suggest vaping can help people quit smoking.

Using vapes to quit smoking

A 2021 study found that daily e-cigarette usage among tobacco smokers can increase the likelihood of quitting smoking eightfold. Researchers assessed data from the 2014–2019 Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study, focusing on smokers who were not planning to quit smoking at the start of the period. At the end of the survey, 28% of smokers using e-cigarettes daily had ceased smoking tobacco altogether, while 45.5% had ceased smoking tobacco daily. However, researchers found that only daily e-cigarette use had a statistically significant effect on smoking cessation rates. Of the participants who were not using e-cigarettes, only 5.8% had quit smoking altogether by the end of the survey, while 9.9% had stopped smoking daily. Meanwhile, people who were smoking e-cigarettes non-daily had a 3.1% rate of quitting smoking and a 10.2% rate of cutting down to non-daily tobacco smoking. A 2019 randomized control study also found that daily e-cigarette use leads to an almost doubled rate of smoking abstinence than other nicotine-replacement products after one year.

Addictive properties of smoking and vaping

Nicotine is highly addictive. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) states that around half of all smokers try to quit every year, while only 6% manage to do so. A 2019 study suggests that nicotine-containing e-cigarettes may have a higher addiction potential than standard cigarettes among young adults. Researchers noted that study participants using both types of cigarettes had a higher nicotine dependence in relation to e-cigarettes. However, nicotine alone is relatively harmless, and switching from daily tobacco smoking to daily e-cigarette use can be an important step for people to stop smoking completely.

Vaping vs. smoking weed

A person can use a vaping device to inhale THC. THC is the chemical in cannabis that produces a high. According to a 2018 study examining infrequent cannabis smoking in adults, vaping THC produced stronger mind-altering effects than smoking a similar amount of weed. As a result, vaping THC may produce a faster, stronger high, but it may also mean that people experience more adverse effects.

Summary

Vaping and smoking share similar negative effects on the body, such as damage to the lungs and increased cancer risk. Researchers know more about the long-term effects of smoking than those of vaping. However, vaping products contain a great deal fewer harmful chemicals than cigarettes and can be an effective tool in quitting smoking altogether. However, while vape products can reduce the amount of tar and other chemicals a person inhales, they can increase a person’s nicotine dependency.