Smoking traditional cigarettes harms nearly every organ in the body, including the heart. That is why quitting smoking is one of the best things a person can do.
Since the launch of electronic cigarettes, many cigarette smokers turned to them as a way to transition off smoking cigarettes. Vaping began this way, but it has changed and has become increasingly popular since then. JUUL and JUUL alternative pod systems are especially responsible for making vaping extremely popular in the United States.
There is a certain amount of people who vape just for social reasons or because they like the various e-juice flavors. People tend to forget that vaping e-cigarettes started as a way to help people quit smoking cigarettes.
Vaping has many benefits that outweigh traditional cigs. For most people, each vape puff contains less nicotine than a cigarette puff. Additionally, vaping is better for your teeth and offers a way to scale the nicotine down. Non nicotine vape juice is the safest way to vape which
Is vaping is better than smoking traditional cigarettes? Can it really help a person stop smoking forever? We are here to help you understand the truth about vaping and whether it is better for your health than smoking tobacco cigarettes.
Is vaping less harmful than traditional smoking?
Let’s get straight to the point! Aside from nicotine and tobacco, regular cigarettes contain over 4,000 harmful chemicals.
According to the American Cancer Society, tobacco smoke from cigarettes is a complex mixture of chemicals produced by burning tobacco and its additives. About 70 of those chemicals are carcinogens or cancer-causing chemicals. [1]
Smoking cigarettes can lead to health risks like heart disease, lung cancer, bad oral health, and so much more. Not only is smoking cigarettes harmful to one's health, but it can harm the people around smokers. Secondhand smoke can cause similar health issues among adults and/or children that are around a person who smokes.
E-cigarettes are still new so there is not as much research on whether they are bad for one’s health and what chemicals are in e-cigarettes. What we do know is that e-cigarettes are used to vape e-liquid.
E-liquids are composed of propylene glycol (PG), vegetable glycerin (VG), food flavoring, water, and nicotine. VG is what makes the liquid thick and sweet. PG is used to help distribute the taste and any food grade flavoring evenly throughout the liquid. Both have no risk and are safe to consume. E-cigarettes heat the e-liquid with nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals to create a water vapor that is inhaled.
We don’t know the exact chemicals that can be found in vaping, but Michael Blaha, director of clinical research at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, gave a slight insight on chemicals in smoking vs. vaping. Blaha says, “there’s almost no doubt that they (e-cigarettes) expose you to fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes.” [2]
There's almost no doubt that e-cigarette users are exposed to fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarette users.
Is vaping bad for your health?
There is really no answer that determines if vaping is bad for one’s health. What we do know is that it contains nicotine and that is the primary agent in traditional cigarettes as well.
Nicotine is highly addictive and can cause one to crave more and suffer from withdrawal symptoms if the cravings are ignored. Nicotine can also raise blood pressure and can cause an adrenaline spike which can lead to having a heart attack.
We advice to slowly decrease your nicotine intake to non-nicotine e-liquid. E-liquids that are marked as 0mg contain no nicotine and can help users to stop cigarette smoking. Non nicotine vapes are safer because they don't contain any addictive chemicals.
Additionally, nicotine consumption via vaping can dry your mouth and have negative effects on your teeth and gums over time. See our "Is vaping bad for your teeth?" article to learn more.
More long term research is needed about E-cigarettes. We recommend them as a safer alternative than traditional cigarettes. The dangers of vaporizers are likely less critical than smoking cigarettes.
Can vaping help people stop smoking traditional cigarettes?
Yes! A new study from Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital confirms that smokers who vape regularly are far more likely to quit smoking than those who don't vape. To be exact, vapers who vaped daily were 77% more likely to quit and remain abstinent from cigarettes after two years.
The study used data from another study from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA )known as Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health. The doctors who performed the study looked at more than 8,000 people who smoked. The subjects provided personal information in regards to their health and smoking habits. They then checked in with updates after one and two years.
The study found that nearly twice as many of the smokers who vaped daily were able to quit than the subjects that didn't vape at all. The subjects who vaped occasionally, not every day, had trouble quitting cigarettes at the end of the study.
Additionally, vaping low MG juices have much less nicotine per hit than cigarettes. Read our How much vaping equals one cigarette article to see exactly how much.
Use vaping as a tool to quit smoking
Although the FDA does not approve of vape pens or electronic cigarettes as smoking cessation devices, there is an analysis that says otherwise. Sara Kalkhoran and Stanton Glantz wrote a 2016 meta-analysis that shows that vaping actually reduces the cessation rates for smokers. [4] In regards to the recent study Kalkhoran says, "This finding suggests that smokers who use e-cigarettes to quit smoking need to use them regularly—every day—for these products to be most helpful,".
There is still more research needed to find the long term health effects of vaping electronic cigarettes. Smoking conventional cigarettes have far worse health effects than vaping. The new research conducted by Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital shows that e-cigarette vapor products can help smokers quit and live a tobacco-free life.
When it comes to vaping vs. smoking, vaping seems to be the better option for people who smoke regular cigarettes and are trying to decrease their nicotine and tobacco use. It's important to understand that vaping is a tool people use to quit a smoking habit, it should not be used by young people/minors or any person that is not addicted to tobacco or nicotine.
Making the switch
If you're interested in vaping, you came to the right place. Vaping gives you much more control as opposed to smoking cigarettes.
With vaping, you are able to control the amount of nicotine you are consuming. You can also control the power of your device and the types of atomizers you will be using. As a bonus, there are thousands of flavors you can choose from (you can also make your own flavors if you're into that).
If you have never vaped before, contact our support team and they will gladly help you get set up with everything you need to start vaping.
If you already have a vape and are interested in sampling new vape juices each month, check out our monthly subscription plans. Vapebox sends out all types of e-juices in a convenient monthly box. Check out our selection of box mods, vape batteries, tanks, Vape starter kits, and more!
We are also running a free vape juice promotion where new members can receive their first month's Vapebox for free, just pay shipping.
Public health disclaimer: The department of health - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that vaping is less harmful than smoking conventional cigarettes. But the CDC advises against e-cigarette use by high school students, those who are pregnant, or adults who do not currently use tobacco.
References
- https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/tobacco-and-cancer/carcinogens-found-in-tobacco-products.html
- https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/5-truths-you-need-to-know-about-vaping
- https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-07/mgh-deu072319.php
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4752870/
Get vape juices curated just for you.
Join the club »
