Daily vaping may harm blood vessels as much as 20 cigarettes, study finds

A major study has found that daily nicotine vaping may impair blood vessel health as much as smoking 20 cigarettes a day. The findings are particularly relevant for young people who have never smoked, researchers said.

The study compared vascular function in 20 vapers, 20 cigarette smokers and 20 people who did not smoke or vape. It began three years ago. Vascular health, which reflects the quality of blood vessels, was similarly impaired in vapers compared with smokers and was lower than in people who had never smoked or vaped. The study found a similar result for fitness: vapers had lower fitness than people who never smoked or vaped.

The lead clinician behind a Manchester campaign called Make Smoking History, Professor Matt Evison, said the message for people who have never smoked is simple: they should never start vaping. He also stressed that smokers should not be deterred from switching. Stopping smoking is the single biggest thing a smoker can do to improve their health, wealth and life expectancy, he said, and nicotine vapes are one of the most effective ways to do that at a fraction of the risk of smoking tobacco. He warned that misinformation has led many smokers to believe vaping is as harmful as cigarette smoke, which he said is not true.

The researchers said the findings matter because vaping has boomed in the last decade, especially among young adults. There are now a million people who vape and had never smoked before, according to the report.

One participant, Isabel, said she quit vaping four weeks ago. The process has been difficult, but she wants to work in healthcare and could not advise others to stop vaping while still doing it herself. She said vaping tastes nice and can feel harmless because it is vapour rather than smoke, but the substances going into the lungs are not good for you.

Regular vapers interviewed for the report gave mixed views. Some assumed vaping was not as bad as cigarettes, but others said it is no better and is more convenient because it is always in your hand. One vaper who had started again for about two months said they could feel the effect and stop when their lungs feel worse. They said giving up is hard because vaping is addictive.

The researchers concluded that more research is needed into the long-term effects of vaping.