Vaping is a popular alternative to traditional tobacco products for millions of Americans, and data suggest that popularity is increasing. In part, vaping appeals to people because it’s viewed as a healthier alternative to smoking — but is that really the case?
At TLC Medical Group Inc., Anthony B. Lewis, MD, FACC, and his team want their patients to understand the risks associated with vaping, including the dangers it can pose to cardiovascular health. Learn how vaping compares to traditional tobacco products and how your vaping habit could be damaging your heart.
Everyone knows the health risks associated with smoking traditional tobacco products like cigarettes. Tobacco products contain high levels of dangerous chemicals, including dozens of chemicals linked with elevated cancer risk.
Those chemicals damage the lining of blood vessels, dramatically increasing the risks of high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attack, and cancer. Over time, smoking tobacco products significantly increases the risk of death.
Vaping uses an electronic device that heats a liquid (or vape juice) to a high temperature, creating an inhaled vapor. Vaping products contain far fewer harmful chemicals than cigarettes — but that doesn’t mean vaping is risk-free. In fact, vaping poses some serious risks of its own.
First of all, while vaping aerosol may seem no more harmful than steam vapor, it contains a lot more substances than plain water. Vaping aerosol contains heavy metals, volatile organic compounds, and extremely fine particles that can be inhaled into your lungs. Some of the chemicals used in vape flavorings have been linked with serious lung damage.
Plus, many vaping products contain nicotine, just like cigarettes. Nicotine is highly addictive, and vaping can lead to nicotine dependence (and uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms) just like tobacco products can. In fact, it’s nicotine that makes it so hard to stop smoking.
Perhaps most concerning, while smoking has decades of scientific data detailing its harmful effects, vaping is a much newer phenomenon, and the fact is, researchers just aren’t sure what the long-term effects of vaping may be — nor do they know its potential long-term effects on people’s health.
Like cigarettes and other tobacco products, vaping also has the potential to take a major toll on your cardiovascular health. While many of those effects are still being studied, researchers do know that inhaling vaping products on a regular basis can definitely have effects on your heart.
As noted, many vaping products contain nicotine, a chemical that can increase both your heart rate and your blood pressure. At the same time, nicotine constricts blood vessels, putting extra strain on your heart and increasing your risks of heart attack and stroke.
Some research shows people who vape may be more prone to inflammation, possibly due to the aerosol itself. Over time, inflammation increases your risk of heart disease and can elevate your risk of other serious diseases.
Other research shows people who vape perform more poorly in cardiovascular treadmill (stress) tests compared to people who don’t smoke. This effect is similar to the results observed in people who smoke traditional tobacco products.
Like smoking, vaping also increases the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), a leading cause of heart disease and heart attacks. It can also exacerbate CAD and other heart problems in people who already have cardiovascular disease.
There’s no single way to prevent heart disease 100%, but there are definitely lifestyle choices you can make to dramatically reduce your risks. Avoiding tobacco products and vaping helps you avoid their risks, as well, so you can keep your heart as healthy as possible.
To learn how we can help you maintain your heart health (and overall wellness, too), request an appointment online or over the phone with Dr. Lewis and the team at TLC Medical Group in Port St. Lucie, Florida, today.
