Is vaping worse or better than smoking for your health? How bad are vapes for you compared to cigarettes? These are some of the questions more than 5.6 million UK vapers and six million smokers face in the UK each year.
Both are products that are inhaled into the lungs, can cause side effects and health risks, and contain nicotine. However, vaping is recommended by some health professionals to quit smoking with free NHS support and guidance. Using health insights informed by medical research studies, we intend to highlight important answers to the key questions that smokers and vapers want to know.
The Rise and Fall of Smoking
Smoking has been a part of society for centuries worldwide, with its popularity peaking in the mid-20th century. The cultural acceptance of smoking has been on the decline for the past two decades as the adverse health effects of smoking reared its ugly head.
This is evident through numerous studies linking tobacco use to cancer, respiratory illnesses, and cardiovascular diseases. And more than eight million deaths worldwide annually due to cigarette use.
With recent UK government interventions, including an increase in tobacco taxes, advertising bans and public smoking restrictions, the past twenty years have seen a decline in smoking rates with a fall of 8.3% since 2011 alone.
This is where the vape market saw an opportunity to offer something different. The diversity of e-liquids, with a plethora of flavours and nicotine strengths, created an alternative nicotine experience with a familiar habit of hand-to-mouth action.
From traditional tobacco and menthol flavours to exotic fruit and dessert options, consumers have an unprecedented array of choices. The development of nicotine salts has also allowed for smoother delivery at higher nicotine concentrations, appealing to individuals seeking a more cigarette-like sensation. This variety has contributed to vaping's popularity, though it has also raised concerns about youth appeal and potential health risks.
How Did This Pattern Overlap with Vaping
The emergence of vaping in the early 21st century offered an alternative to traditional smoking. Initially, vape devices were marketed as cessation tools, providing nicotine delivery without the combustion of tobacco.
As vaping gained popularity, the industry evolved rapidly, introducing a variety of device types and flavours, including disposable vapes (soon to leave the market).
A switch from smoking to vaping made sense from various points of view. Economically, the popularity of vaping grew as the cost of smoking went up. As roughly six million smokers continue to look for ways to cut spending habits but keep up nicotine habits, vaping seems a logical solution.
A life without the inhalation of tobacco is a clear healthy life in the right direction. Once a smoker begins to use cigarettes, the addictive nature of smoking is very difficult to quit. With nicotine replacement therapies not always meaningful tools to stop smoking, vaping has proved a more effective method for many. As we investigate below, there are still health risks associated with both, which can be determined by the varying ingredients used in both vapes and cigarettes.
Vaping vs Smoking: Health Risks Compared
When considering the health uncertainty of vaping vs smoking, which we know from years of studies is a contributing factor to ill health, a clear comparison needs to be made. It is vital to understand the risks of smoking combustible tobacco against the vapour exhaled from vape juice. The scientific evidence of both vaping and smoking can then help determine if vaping is better than smoking as an alternative or just as dangerous.
Combustion vs Vaporisation: A Chemical Analysis
Smoking involves burning tobacco, which releases thousands of harmful chemicals, including tar, carbon monoxide, and carcinogens. These substances contribute to the well-documented health risks associated with smoking, such as lung cancer and heart disease.
In contrast, vaping involves heating e-liquids to create a vapour. While e-liquids typically contain nicotine, the addictive ingredient which creates a problem for both smokers and vapers, other ingredients are not as harmful compared to cigarette chemicals. The likes of propylene glycol and glycerine are chemicals found in food products, medicines and toiletries (but are not inhaled).
In addition, many vape e-liquids contain flavourings. These key differences have led the NHS and other UK health organisations to back vaping as a less harmful alternative than smoking. While they do not condone it as a stand-alone product any person should use, they do however recognise that if no other NRTs are unsuccessful for adult smokers, a vape device could be an option, posing less of a risk because they do not contain combustible tobacco.
Scientific Evidence and Ongoing Myths
Despite the apparent health benefits of avoiding combustion, the long-term effects of vaping remain under investigation. Studies have shown that vaping significantly reduces exposure to harmful chemicals compared to smoking.
However, concerns persist regarding the potential respiratory impact of vaping over a long period. Some studies suggest that vaping could affect lung health, though the long-term evidence is not yet factual. This is because many vapers previously smoked, so may already have signs of lung damage depending on cigarette use.
More ‘evidence’ and public perception of vaping is driven by media claims and sensationalist headlines. ‘Popcorn Lung’ - a term linked to a disease called bronchiolitis obliterans, was believed to be caused by vape liquids containing Diacetyl.
This, despite many negative stories about vaping, was found in a USA factory which makes the popular food snack popcorn, which does use Diacetyl.
To fully understand the risks of vaping vs smoking, more medical studies are needed to understand the ingredients used in both.
Is Vaping Still 95% Safer Than Smoking?
From a harm reduction perspective, vaping is generally considered less dangerous than smoking. Public health organisation Public Health England previously indicated that vaping as a smoking cessation tool is 95% less harmful than smoking.
Nonetheless, vaping is not without risk, and the NHS states that although it is less harmful than smoking, the long-term effects are not clear. Therefore, children and non-smokers should not vape.
What Happens When You Quit Smoking and Start Vaping
Is it better to vape or smoke? Neither is recommended. And we know that when you quit smoking, the positive impact giving up cigarettes has on your health is near instant. As a rough timeline of how your health can improve once you quit smoking, here are a few examples proven by medical research:
1.Only 20 minutes after stopping with your last cigarette, blood pressure and heart rate reduce.
2.Oxygen levels return to normal within eight hours.
3.Carbon monoxide levels in your blood drop to normal levels within 12 hours.
4.Energy levels and blood circulation should improve after a couple of weeks.
5.Breathing and coughing can potentially improve within one month.
6.One year after giving up smoking, the chances of a heart attack are reduced by 50%!
7.Following ten years of no cigarettes, the risk of lung cancer is reduced to half compared to a smoker.
8.After 15 years, the probability of a heart attack is the same as somebody who never smoked.
These statistics above are fantastic if a smoker can quit cold turkey with no cigarettes or relapse of this addictive habit. But a high proportion of smokers struggle to quit with no nicotine alternative – at least at the first attempt. If nicotine sprays, gum or patches are not effective, vaping is the go-to option for many.
However, are the health benefits of quitting smoking above still possible when you switch cigarettes for vapes?
Although the NHS does not recommend you vape other than to quit smoking, it is noted that there are fewer toxins in vapes compared to cigarettes. This in turn leads to less chance of lung or heart damage. Lung function could still improve and there will be a reduced chance of nicotine withdrawal, as it is possible to select different nicotine strengths, gradually reducing the level of nicotine intake. Sense of taste and smell may improve, as well as circulation.
Conclusion: Is Vaping Better Than Smoking?
It is not proven beyond doubt by medical professionals that vaping is better than smoking because more long-term studies are needed to know for sure. However, a few advantages of vaping compared to smoking are clear:
No carbon monoxide or tar found in vapes
No tobacco in vapes
Choice of different nicotine strengths
Far fewer toxic chemicals (roughly 5,000 in cigarettes)
The risks of second smoke are more dangerous than vapour
Therefore, medical sources from the likes of the NHS, British Heart Foundation and the British Lung Association all highlight that no adult or young person should smoke or vape. They all state however that vaping is a better alternative to smoking because of the reasons listed above.
There are health risks with both, but for now, we can see there are considerably more with smoking than vaping, as we are aware of the deaths caused by smoking over many decades.