Researchers have identified worrying health issues related to vaping, with them taking a hold of your body within seconds of puffing on an electronic cigarette device.
Long touted as a less harmful alternative to smoking tobacco products, evidence is growing around the harm of vaping as more and more studies are done in to the devices used to simulate having a ciggy.
the UK Government has confirmed disposable vapes will be banned in 2025 to curb their growing use in children as young as 11 years old. A vaping tax is also being introduced, which will more than double the price of liquids used in refillable vapes.
It is part of a wider crackdown by Sir Keir Starmer’s government to improve public health, with a first of its kind generational smoking ban coming in as the habit becomes more popular among younger people.
Now, released today (25 November), new research published by the Radiological Society of North America (RNSA) has shown acute effects on your ‘vascular function’ from both vapes and cigarettes – and that is even with no nicotine being smoked.
“Vapes contain significantly fewer chemicals and toxins than are found in tobacco smoke. As a result, e-cigarettes are believed by many to be less harmful than cigarette smoking,” the RNSA says.
But according to the new study produced by Marianne Nabbout MD, we need to re-evaluate the impact vaping has on our body, with the harm still there.
A woman exhaling after puffing on a vape (Getty Images)
“E-cigarettes have long been marketed as a safer alternative to regular tobacco smoking,” Dr Nabbout, a radiology resident at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, said.
“Some believe that e-cigarettes don’t contain any of the harmful products, such as free radicals, found in regular tobacco cigarettes, because no combustion is involved.”
In the study conducted at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr Nabbout and colleagues sought to identify the acute effects on vascular function – the ability to carry blood through the body as needed – of cigarette smoking and the immediate effects of e-cigarette vaping, with and without nicotine.
A total of 31 healthy smokers and vapers ranging in age from 21 to 49 years have been included in the study to date.
Disposable vapes are being banned in the UK (Getty Images)
In three separate sessions, study participants underwent two MRI exams, one before and one after each of the following smoking / vaping episodes: tobacco cigarette, e-cigarette aerosol with nicotine and e-cigarette aerosol without nicotine.
A cuff was placed on the upper thigh to restrict blood flow. Once deflated, femoral artery flow velocity (a measure of the speed of blood flow in the femoral artery) and venous oxygen saturation (a measure of the amount of oxygen in the blood that returns to the heart after supplying oxygen to the body’s tissues) were evaluated. Cerebrovascular (blood flow in the brain) reactivity was measured with a special type of MRI called phase-contrast MRI.
The data of the smokers and vapers was then compared to the baseline scans of 10 non-smokers and non-vapers ranging from 21 to 33 years old.
Following inhalation of each type of vaping or smoking, there was a significant decrease in the resting blood flow velocity in the superficial femoral artery. This artery runs along the thigh and supplies oxygenated blood to the entire lower body.
Vaping is not free from harm, the study says (Getty Images)
The decrease in vascular function was most pronounced after inhalation of e-cigarettes containing nicotine, followed by e-cigarettes without nicotine. Decreased venous oxygen saturation was also present in vapers, whether or not the e-cigarettes contained nicotine. This suggests an immediate decrease in the uptake of oxygen by the lungs after vaping.
According to Dr. Nabbout, the take-home message for the public is that vaping may not be free of harm. She said: “Ultimately, we are relying on science to help guide the regulation of such products in favor of public health. Refraining from smoking and vaping is always recommended.”
Drinking alcohol is something billions of us do on a regular basis, with one in three people on Earth having a tipple when they feel like it. Sometimes, though, we take that a little too far and are left feeling the regret the morning after.
If that’s you, don’t worry, it’s been me too. And trust me when I say things change big time when you are in your thirties compared to your twenties.
Long gone are the university days where you might have been going out three or four times a week. But every once in a while when you do have that big blow out, you aren’t half left feeling it.
Dr. Giuseppe Aragona, GP and Online Doctor for PrescriptionDoctor.com, sat down and explained to Cosmopolitan the major different to your health and body when you drink at the age of 25 and then a decade later at 35.
Impact of drinking alcohol in your twenties
“Most people would believe that it’s okay to drink excessively in your twenties because you are young, and your body is able is able to manage the amount of alcohol in your system,” says Dr. Agarona.
“However this is not the case and in actual fact, drinking a large amount in your twenties – also known as binge drinking – can actually pose more risk to your future self.”
The doctor explains that those who drink excessively or ‘have larger dependence on alcohol in their early adulthood and twenties’ are more likely to suffer from a range of physical issues when they reach their fifties and sixties.
He says: “Your twenties are also a key point in your life when your dependence on alcohol will have a knock-on effect and will likely cement your relationship with alcohol through into your thirties and forties.”
As well as future injuries, you could be actively harming your development with it ‘still occurring in your body in your late teens and early-to-mid twenties’, Dr. Agarona says.
Been there (Getty Stock Images)
“For example, excessive alcohol consumption can largely increase the chances of developing oral cancers in young people, as well as heart and liver disease,” he explains.
“A large alcohol consumption can also contribute to the development of osteoporosis in young people as the alcohol stops the bones ability to absorb calcium, a vital resource for healthy bones.”
And to make the matter more serious, there’s a serious risk of reducing fertility and, in worst case scenarios, overdosing.
He explains: “Binge drinking is especially common in young adults and puts them at an increased risk of blood poisoning. The symptoms of alcohol poisoning are similar to that of an extreme hangover; nausea, vomiting and loss of consciousness, and so are not recognised as an emergency, and without urgent care alcohol poisoning can lead to seizures and possible death.
“Drinking excessive alcohol in your twenties can also reduce your fertility and cause damage to your reproductive organs. In rare cases ovulation can stop altogether.”
Never taken the booze to bed with me, mind (Getty Stock Images)
Impact of drinking alcohol in your thirties
It probably comes as little surprise that your hangovers are much worse in your thirties, compared to the decade before, with you potentially being ‘knocked out for days’ as a result of a binging session.
There’s also an increased chance of a two, or even three, day hangover (which this author would not wish on anybody).
As you get older, your ability to metabolise alcohol declines, this decline is usually found from your late twenties and into your thirties.
“Older people have higher blood alcohol concentration than younger people; this means that as you age you have a lower volume of total body water and slower rates of eliminating alcohol from the body,” Dr. Agarona says.
“So essentially, as you reach your thirties, your liver and body’s ability to eliminate alcohol from your system takes longer and in return you may find that your hangovers last longer, and even one night of drinking can leave you knocked out for days.”
The regret is real (Getty Stock Images)
Another side effect could be be slower reflexes and your eyesight and hearing not working as they once did. Dr. Agarona explains this could lead to you feeling ‘high, dizzy or intoxicated’ even if you’ve only had a few alcoholic beverages.
He says: “Drinking can also affect many medical conditions which are common among older people such as high blood pressure.
“Furthermore, in your thirties you may start to take more medicines and supplements than younger people, and mixing alcohol with prescription drugs can be incredibly dangerous.”
Dr. Aragona also explains that your mental health could deteriorate given that alcohol is a depressant, potentially worsening symptoms of anxiety, sleeping disorders, and depression.
What was once hailed as a healthier alternative to smoking is now facing a major crackdown, as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has announced new vaping measures in the UK.
In a bid to halt the rise in vaping among young people and children, an upcoming disposable vape ban has been announced along with new laws which will restrict certain flavours of vapes marketed specifically at children.
Why is there a ban on disposable vapes?
Some nine percent of 11 to 15-year-olds are now using vapes, meanwhile the proportion of 11 to 17-year-old’s using disposables has increased by ninefold in the last two years.
Vaping is particularly concerning due to the fact that the long-term health impacts are currently unknown.
However, there are some disturbing side effects that can happen from vaping.
What are the potential health risks of vaping?
1) Heart disease
Chemicals in vape pens can be damaging to the heart as The American Heart Association (AHA) has linked teenage vaping with cardiovascular disease.
“The latest research suggests that vaping is as harmful to the body’s cardiovascular systems as cigarettes,” said Dr Hoang Nguyen a cardiologist from MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute in California.
2) Lung disease
Inflamed lungs can lead to a person wheezing and struggling to breathe as studies demonstrate that vaping can be harmful to you.
Yale Medicine says that lung illness EVALI (e-cigarette or vaping use-associated lung injury) has a link with vitamin E acetate, which is found in some THC vaping products, and when inhaled this causes lung damage.
The symptoms of EVALI include being short of breath, coughing, suffering from chest pains, rapid and shallow breathing, an increased heart rate, fevers and chills, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
3) Sperm count
Turkish scientists wanted to see what effects vaping had on the testicle size and sperm count of rats.
Mice and rats have anatomical, physiological, and genetic similarities to humans and that’s why they’re used all the time during experiments.
The study – published in the Spanish medical journal Revista Internacional de Andrología – found that sperm count dropped to around 95.1 million per ml from an average of 98.5 million per ml when hit with the e-cigarette vapour and 89 million when exposed to traditional cigarette smoke.
The rats exposed to cigarette smoke had the smallest testes compared to the e-cigarette and control group.
In the most severe cases, they discovered some rats with stopped germ cell separation, cavity formation, necrosis, fibrosis, and atrophy.
4) Slow down in brain development
The most important organ in the body – the brain – is also impacted when you keep hitting a vape, particularly if you’re in your teens.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the brain is still developing until you turn 25.
“Using nicotine in adolescence can permanently harm the parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control,” they said.
5) Tooth decay
London based dentist Dr Vikas Prinja, who goes by @thelondondentist online, shared a video of a particular patient whose teeth were stained yellow/brown, which is caused by the nicotine and tar in vapes.
Dr Prinja said: “This is smokers staining, it covers the top layers of the teeth with a yellow/brown stain.”
Dr Michael Heffernan, a dentist at The Wessex Dental Specialist Care, also added: “We also know that nicotine (present in e-cigarettes) can restrict blood flow to the gums, and poor circulation can result in more significant gum disease around teeth and potential loss of dental implants.
“However, these effects are less harmful than smoking or chewing tobacco products.”
When will disposable vapes be banned?
The ban is expected to come into force early next year, and once a date is confirmed retailers will be given six months to follow the rules.
Here is exactly what happens to your body when you give up vaping, as the UK government confirms plans to ban disposable vapes.
After months of Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party discussing restrictions on vapes, and even more promises from the previous Conservative government, the day has finally come, disposable vapes will be banned in the UK next summer.
Citing environmental concerns and a steep rise in children and young people taking up the habit, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has confirmed that all disposable vapes will no longer be sold from June 2025.
The department confirmed that all businesses will have until this date to ‘sell any remaining stock they hold and prepare for the ban coming into force’.
Vape shops will soon look very different (Getty Stock Images)
So savour your clouds of fruity-scented smoke while you still can, as we are just over six months away from the ban coming into effect.
Or maybe this news is the sign you needed to finally commit to healthier choices and put down the e-cigarette for good? If so, here is everything that happens to your body when you decide to give up vaping.
20 minutes without vaping
No one is saying that quitting vaping is going to be easy, but your body will begin to thank you within just 20 minutes of stopping.
According to Nikola Djordjevic MD – project manager at Med Alert Help – your ‘your heart rate returns to normal, your blood pressure drops, and your circulation starts to normalise’ after 20 minutes.
And the positive side effects only increase from there.
Caleb Backe, a certified health and wellness expert for Maple Holistics, added that breathing will also become easier, saying: “When you quit vaping, you should find that your breathing becomes less laboured and your airflow is clearer.”
24 hours without vaping
“After just one day, your heart attack risk starts to decrease,” Djordjevic added, explaining that the positive changes are due to your blood pressure and cholesterol returning to normal.
“Thanks to the lowering of blood pressure, rising blood oxygen levels, and reducing the negative influence on cholesterol levels and the formation of blood clots,” she said.
You’ll begin to experience side effects at this point, however this is said to ‘gradually decrease’ in the following weeks.
Months without vaping
The positive changes continue into the next weeks and months, with nicotine taking around three days to exit your system. After one month your lungs will start to recover.
“After one month, your lung capacity improves,” Djordjevic revealed. “There’s noticeably less shortness of breath and coughing.”
She continued: “After nine months, lung health improves significantly thanks to the renewal of microscopic hair-like structures inside the lungs that help push out mucus and fight infections.”
The side effects of withdrawing will also begin to decrease at this point.
It can take just 20 minutes for your body to begin the detoxing process (Getty Stock Images)
Vaping and cancer
When it comes to your risk of developing cancer, there is less information currently available on the links between vaping and cancer. This is because vaping is still relatively new and e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, which is a known carcinogenic.
Information published by Cancer Research UK notes that e-cigarettes are useful in helping cigarette smokers quit and decrease their risk of getting cancer, however their guidance adds that vaping isn’t currently advised for anyone who hasn’t previously smoked.
A timeline revealing what happens to your body after you quit vaping has resurfaced after the government announced a date for the ban of disposable vapes.
Vaping has become an epidemic, and there were rumours that the government would announce that all disposable and single-use vapes were to be banned, which were confirmed earlier this week.
Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour government took it upon themselves to complete what Rishi Sunak started in this respect, making it clear in a recent press conference that he wants to ‘take action’ against smoking.
You’ve got just over seven months until you wave goodbye to disposable vapes for good (Getty Stock Photo)
What is changing with vaping?
Now, with the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, measures have been put in place to restrict smoking in public areas, and forever change how tobacco-based products are marketed, particularly to younger people, as more are taking up the habit.
A government spokesperson told : “The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop vapes from deliberately being branded and advertised to appeal to children, including by regulating flavours, packaging, and changing how and where they are displayed in shops,
“Ministers are reviewing proposals to restrict the sale and supply of disposable vapes more widely before setting out next steps.”
When will vaping be banned?
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) confirmed yesterday (24 October) that a ban on sale and supply of single-use vapes in England will come into effect on 1 June 2025.
So, with shops quickly emptying their shelves, what will happen if you throw your vape away for good, and call it quits on 31 May next year?
If you’re planning to quit, your body will thank you in just 20 minutes (Getty Stock Photo)
Here’s a timeline that outlines all the health benefits you could get from throwing those plastic sticks away:
20 minutes after quitting
It takes less than half an hour to reap the rewards of giving the bad habit up, as project manager at Med Alert Help, Nikola Djordjevic MD explained that ‘your heart rate returns to normal, your blood pressure drops, and your circulation starts to normalise’, in this time.
Your breathing will also improve, as health and wellness expert for Maple Holistics, Caleb Backe, highlights.
24 hours after quitting
The risk of heart attack decreases ‘after just one day,’ says Djordjevic, adding that your blood pressure and cholesterol will also return to normal.
Though you may experience a number of withdrawal symptoms at this point, she explained that, ‘thanks to the lowering of blood pressure, rising blood oxygen levels, and reducing the negative influence on cholesterol levels and the formation of blood clots’, your health will benefit hugely.
It’s time to wave goodbye to these colourful little guys (Getty Stock Photo)
Months after quitting
The long-term benefits will start to shine through, as nicotine takes about three days to leave your system, and within a month, your lungs will begin recovering, according to Djordjevic.
“There’s noticeably less shortness of breath and coughing,” she highlighted.
The health expert further explained: “After nine months, lung health improves significantly thanks to the renewal of microscopic hair-like structures inside the lungs that help push out mucus and fight infections.”
You may be fighting some withdrawal symptoms at this point, though they should be minute and far less noticeable than before.
The health risk of vaping
There is still a lot of research needed on the link between vaping and cancer, as e-cigarettes are still fairly new in the health realm.
According to Cancer Research UK, e-cigarettes can be helpful in getting cigarette users to quit and decrease the chances of them getting cancer, but it is strongly advised that non-smokers clear clear of vapes of any kind.
