Vaping could be more harmful to the body than traditional cigarettes, possibly increasing the risk of dementia, heart disease, and organ failure, according to the leader of a groundbreaking study. While the NHS has labelled vaping via E-cigarettes as "substantially less harmful than smoking."
Dr Maxime Boidin is at the helm of the world's inaugural controlled research on the long-term impacts of vaping at Manchester Metropolitan University, which wraps up in March.
His findings suggest that the threat to vapers may surpass that faced by smokers.
Dr Boidin comments on the study: "Smokers tend to go outside and smoke, and once a cigarette is finished they have to light up another to keep going. But with vapes, you just keep going and it's much harder to know how many puffs you've had. It's much easier to vape continuously because you can do it in places where smoking might be less acceptable."
Surprised by the study outcomes, he shares: "What we have found is the dangers for someone who keeps vaping are no different from smokers.", reports the Mirror.
He reflects on his initial views versus his current stance, remarking: "At the beginning (of the study) I also believed that vaping was more beneficial than smoking. You see a lot more people vaping these days because they don't think it's too bad. Many will be horrified to know the truth."
The research conducted at the university's Institute of Sport involved participants aged 18 to 45, most around 27 years old, with comparable fitness and activity levels. They underwent routine stress checks to assess blood vessel elasticity and cerebral blood flow velocity.
Participants were required to consume only water and abstain from vaping, smoking, and exercise for 12 hours before testing. Dr Boidin highlighted the Flow-Mediated Dilation (FMD) test as producing the most striking results.
This test involves placing a cuff on the participant's arm, inflating it to restrict blood flow, then releasing it to measure how much the artery expands as more blood passes through.
Our team joined the study in its final weeks and observed that both smokers and vapers recorded flat readings, indicating damaged artery walls incapable of dilation - a likely precursor to serious cardiovascular issues. Additional tests confirmed that blood flow in smokers and vapers is similarly compromised, increasing their risk of cognitive dysfunction, including dementia.
Dr Boidin, a senior lecturer in cardiac rehabilitation, attributes this damage to inflammation caused by nicotine, as well as metals and chemicals present in vapes, such as propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine. Chemical flavourings, like carbonyl compounds, are known to cause inflammation and oxidative stress, potentially leading to damage to the inner walls of arteries and cell death.
He warns: "When you put this mixture of metals and chemicals into your body you can't expect nothing to happen."
The popularity of vaping in the UK has surged since electronic cigarettes first made their way here in 2005. Currently, there are approximately 5.1 million individuals aged 16 or above in Britain – roughly one in ten – who use vapes, as per last year's data from the Office for National Statistics.
The highest usage rates are among those aged 16 to 24, at 15.8%.
In England alone, one million people now vape without ever having been regular smokers, marking a sevenfold rise over three years, reveals a study by University College London published in The Lancet Public Health Journal. Despite alarming incidents such as the death of Hollyoaks actor Paul Danan at 46, who had previously disclosed that he was resuscitated after respiratory failure due to excessive vaping, Public Health England maintains that "vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking".
Other disturbing reports include cases of collapsed lungs and instances of fainting or vomiting a green substance, all associated with heavy vaping. Dr Boidin, whose research findings are set to be released shortly, claims to have evidence indicating that even young vapers' fitness levels can be compromised.
Adam Petrulevic, a 25 year old master's student specialising in strength and conditioning, shared his experience as one of the study volunteers. Stating his constant use of vapes, he said, "I never really smoked, but I started vaping two years ago," and admitted, "I always thought it was much less harmful than smoking."
He describes his habits: "I take a puff every few minutes and only stop when I go to sleep. A 500-puff vape used to last me a few days but now it's not even a day. Now I'm on 3,500-puff vapes which should be more than a week, but I finish them in three days."
Another participant, identified only as Marine, age 33, commented on her switch from smoking to using a heated tobacco device three years ago. She conveyed, "I didn't smoke in the house but now I vape all day long. I decided to take part in the study because I wanted to know what it was doing to me. I've noticed that I'm out of breath more, I feel that it's not so good for my health."
Both Adam and Marine were taken aback by the worrying results presented by Dr Boidin. Reflecting on the impact, Adam remarked, "It's definitely an incentive for me to stop."
The narrative that vaping is far less detrimental than traditional smoking has been pervasive, with bodies such as Public Health England advocating that "vaping poses a small fraction of the risks of smoking."
Nevertheless, the agency acknowledges the limitation of existing evidence to mostly short and medium-term effects, underscoring the need for more extensive research into the long-term implications of vaping.
Despite recent alarming incidents, including the tragic death of Hollyoaks actor Paul Danan at 46, who had earlier disclosed his near-death experience due to severe respiratory failure from excessive vaping, the advice remains unchanged. There have been other disturbing cases linked to heavy vaping, such as collapsed lungs, fainting, or vomiting a worrying green fluid.
Dr Boidin, who plans to publish his findings immediately after the study concludes, claims he has evidence that vaping can reduce fitness levels, even among young users.
He suggests that vaping could be more hazardous than smoking because it's harder to regulate consumption. "Smokers tend to go outside and smoke, and once a cigarette is finished they have to light up another to keep going. But with vapes you just keep going and it's much harder to know how many puffs you've had.Marine adds:" he explains.
Marine adds: "I'm going to quit. I never expected vapes to be as bad as cigarettes."
The Government has declared that disposable vapes - brightly packaged devices that come in sweet-like flavours and have been blamed for a rise in teenage users - will be prohibited from June.
Dr Boidin has voiced a strong position that all vapes should be acquired via prescription in the UK to avert a looming "health emergency."
He firmly believes: "The only benefit of vaping is to help people quit smoking, but if they keep vaping the result is going to be the same. I think doctors should be able to prescribe vapes for a certain time, so they could be used as a transition tool, but only for a short time."
He warns of the urgency of understanding the harm from vaping: "We now know the long-term effects of vaping, and if we don't act now we will see a health emergency in the next ten, 15 years."
Meanwhile, Rachael Maskell, Labour MP for York Central, who advocates for more stringent restrictions on vaping products, corroborates this perspective by stating: "This study adds to the body of evidence that vaping can cause significant harm to a person. The government should take stricter measures in ensuring that vapes are only accessible to people who currently smoke as a smoking cessation intervention."
Contrasting these opinions, Dr Marina Murphy, representing the UK Vaping Industry Association, discounts the study's conclusions, remarking: "Millions of people have been using vaping products safely for many years. All the available data suggests that vapes are unlikely to exceed 5% of the health risks associated with cigarettes."
