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You’ve probably seen the commercials of the guy on the front porch, saying he smoked cigarettes for years, unable to quit before he discovered vaping.
Or that girl at the bar who swears that vaping is better for you than smoking cigarettes, and the nicotine you get from your vape doesn’t have all the ‘harmful chemicals’ that a pack of smokes does.
Researchers from the University of Kansas warn that vaping doesn’t appear to be any healthier for you than smoking a cigarette and could pose some of the same health concerns.
The main problem with vaping as a ‘safe’ alternative to smoking is that there really isn’t a ton of research out there at all about the long-term effects. Nicotine and other chemicals are heated up enough for you to be turned into vapor, and then you inhale them.
Into your lungs. It’s easy to say it’s better for you because it smells better, but what are the chemicals and scents actually doing to your soft tissue?
The researchers at the University of Kansas’s School of Medicine used a robot to test the effects of vapored nicotine on human cells. The cells were from human donors that had passed and given their body to science.
The results found that the vape caused damage to the cells that are responsible for clearing out mucus, the same damage you see in those who smoke. This leads to basically chronic bronchitis – coughing, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
If you know what a ‘coughers smoke’ sounds like, you know what you’re looking for.
The trend of vaping is getting a whole new generation hooked on nicotine. In 2015 the rate of teens using e-cigarettes rose by 900%, with 40% of those never having actual smoked a regular cigarette or used a ‘traditional’ tobacco product. That’s crazy!
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD, is already a leading cause of death in the US and is often died to smokers. It can’t be cured, but it can be controlled with the proper medication and lifestyle changes – which often includes quitting smoking.
Scientists are still in their early stages of evaluating just how dangerous vaping and e-cigarette alternatives are, but many worry that we won’t really know the long term effects for 10 or more years as regular users age.
Time will tell, but if you’re trying to quit smoking, put down the vape. It isn’t any healthier, and won’t help you in the long run.
