You’re not the only one who has considered attempting to quit smoking. Seven out of ten smokers claim they wish to give up. One of the finest things you can do for your health is to stop smoking, as it damages almost all of your body’s organs, including your heart. Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke are the causes of about one-third of heart disease fatalities.
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To make the switch from regular cigarettes to quitting altogether easier, you might be tempted to use electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes, vape pens, and other nondisposable and disposable vaping devices). But is vaping, or smoking electronic cigarettes, healthier than using tobacco products? Can e-cigarettes really help you give up smoking? The Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease’s director of clinical research, Michael Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., provides health facts on vaping.
1. Although it’s not as dangerous as smoking, vaping is still not safe.
E-cigarettes produce an aerosol that you inhale by heating nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings, and other compounds. There are 7,000 compounds in regular tobacco cigarettes, many of which are poisonous. Blaha asserts, “There’s almost no doubt that vaping exposes you to fewer toxic chemicals than smoking traditional cigarettes,” despite the fact that we are unsure of the precise ingredients in e-cigarettes.
Thousands of chemical components, the majority of which are yet unidentified, are found in vape goods, according to research on chemicals from The Johns Hopkins University that was released in October 2021. The team was able to uncover a number of potentially dangerous ingredients, including as caffeine, three compounds that had never been discovered in e-cigarettes before, a pesticide, and two flavorings that may cause respiratory irritation and hazardous consequences.
2. According to research, vaping is harmful to your lungs and heart.
The main ingredient in both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes, nicotine is very addicting. If you give in to the need, it makes you crave smoking and creates withdrawal symptoms. Toxic substances include nicotine. It causes an adrenaline surge and blood pressure increase, which in turn quickens heart rate and increases risk of heart attack.
Is vaping unhealthy? What substances are in the vapor and how long-term exposure to them may impact one’s physical health are just two of the numerous questions surrounding vaping. “People should be aware that using an e-cigarette could be harmful to their health,” adds Blaha. “Emerging research shows correlations between dual use of e-cigarettes and smoking with cardiovascular illness, as well as ties to asthma and chronic lung disease. You’re subjecting yourself to a variety of substances that we don’t fully understand and are most likely unsafe.
3. Traditional and electronic cigarettes are equally addicting.
Nicotine, which is included in both traditional cigarettes and e-cigarettes, may be just as addictive as heroin and cocaine, according to study. Even worse, according to Blaha, a lot of e-cigarette users end up getting even more nicotine than they would from a tobacco product that burns: To obtain a stronger nicotine dose, users can upgrade to extra-strength cartridges, which contain a larger concentration of the drug, or they can raise the voltage on their e-cigarette.
4. Electronic cigarettes aren’t the most effective method for quitting smoking.
E-cigarettes have been marketed as a tool to help you stop smoking, but the Food and Drug Administration has not approved them as smoking cessation aids. According to a recent survey, the majority of people who wanted to quit smoking traditional cigarettes and switch to e-cigarettes instead ended up using both.
The CDC recommends smokers who use e-cigarettes to quit to balance the risks and benefits and to first think about using alternative FDA-approved smoking cessation methods in light of the EVALI outbreak.
5: A younger generation is developing a nicotine addiction.
E-cigarettes, particularly the disposable variety, are more popular among young people than any conventional tobacco product. almost 2 million middle and high school children in the United States reported using e-cigarettes in 2021, with almost 8 out of 10 of those young people using flavored e-cigarettes, according to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey.
Blaha lists three reasons why young people could find e-cigarettes especially alluring. First, a lot of teenagers think vaping is safer than smoking. Second, compared to regular cigarettes, e-cigarettes are less expensive per usage. And last, the absence of smoke appeals to both adults and children. E-cigarettes lessen the stigma attached to smoking because they don’t smell.
The fact that people who would never have smoked in the first place—especially young people—are picking up the habit of vaping worries Blaha the most. It’s one thing to switch from smoking cigarettes to vaping. Starting a vaping regimen to consume nicotine is a another matter entirely. Furthermore, a nicotine addiction frequently results in the later use of conventional tobacco products.
The CDC’s research indicates that, since 2020, there has been a slight decrease in teenage vaping. That tendency may be influenced by children being confined to their homes during the COVID-19 epidemic and being watched over by their parents.
However, Blaha notes that it might be difficult to interpret the results since young people frequently alter their preferences and might not think of using throwaway items like “puff bars” as vaping when polled. According to the same CDC data, since 2019, middle school kids’ and high school students’ usage of disposable e-cigarettes has surged by 400% and 1,000%, respectively.