You switched from cigarettes to vaping, thinking it’s safer — especially without nicotine. But new research shows even nicotine-free vapes can harm your blood vessels, raising risks of heart disease and circulation problems.
While traditional cigarettes are full of toxic chemicals and tar, vaping isn’t harmless. The e-liquid in vapes contains substances that, when heated, release byproducts that can damage lungs and airways — causing coughing, shortness of breath, and inflammation.
Flavored vape juices add more risk, often containing harmful chemicals like:
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Diacetyl: linked to “popcorn lung”
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Benzaldehyde: irritates the respiratory system
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Heavy metals: from the heating coils
Dr. Michael Blaha warns, “You’re exposing yourself to chemicals we don’t fully understand and likely aren’t safe.”
Vaping’s popularity has surged — especially among youth — with over 2 million U.S. students using e-cigarettes in 2021, most choosing flavored types. Many of these young users never smoked before.
The 2024 study compared:
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Nicotine-free vapes
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Nicotine vapes
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Traditional cigarettes
All three impaired vascular function. Nicotine worsened the effect, but even nicotine-free vaping wasn’t safe.
As researcher Dr. Marianna Nabbout put it: if a single vape can immediately affect blood vessels, long-term use could lead to chronic vascular disease.