Eight terrifying health impacts vaping is having on people's bodies without them even noticing
While vaping might be considered 'better' for you than smoking, you'd be foolish to think it was a healthy activity in and of itself.
In the UK, over five million adults admit to vaping and there are serious concerns over the number of children who've taken up the highly addictive habit.
While many vapers are former smokers who've taken up e-cigarettes to get off the real thing, there are some people who just took up vaping despite not being hooked on smoking in the first place.
According to The Guardian, about a million people in England are regular vapers despite never having developed a smoking habit and there are several studies warning about the dangers discovered in vaping.
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Some of the health impacts of vaping are things you may not even realise are happening to you until it's too late.
Common dangers of vaping
Vapes contain the highly addictive substance nicotine, which can impact a person's cognitive functions in the long term and increases their blood pressure.
Health concerns over nicotine are only one piece of a particularly unhealthy pie.
There are people who've had serious health scares due to vaping and the lung conditions that have been caused as a result.
One of the most common problems doctors have identified with vaping is people struggling to keep track of how much they've gone through as it's 'much easier' to just keep vaping.
The inhalation of vapours can also cause your lungs to become irritated and swollen which may lead to damage in the form of scarring.
Some vape liquid contains carcinogens which will do you harm if you inhale them.
NHS advice
The NHS says that 'nicotine vaping is less harmful than smoking' and an effective tool if you want to get off cigarettes.
However, it also warns that vaping is 'not completely harmless' and that the full health impacts of huffing and puffing away on a vape are not yet fully known.
There's plenty of research going into the effects of vaping to get a clearer picture of the damage done.
Children and non-smokers should 'never vape' according to the NHS, so it's clearly not good for you.
The 'hidden' health impacts
According to the Daily Mail, there are eight major issues vaping can cause in your body that you might not even notice, with one of them being DNA damage to your lungs.
It pointed towards a 2023 study which warned that the link between vaping and lung cancer was 'an area of significant concern'.
Another issue you may not pick up on is an increased heart rate, which is most likely due to all the nicotine involved in vaping making your ticker go quicker.
Meanwhile, immunologist Aditi Sharma warned that some vape liquids may contain chemicals which wear down the protective barriers in your belly and inflame your digestive system.
The possible damage to cognitive functions was previously mentioned and the Mail warns that studies from the University of Rochester found it may bring on a mental 'fog' that makes concentration more difficult for children and adults alike.
As if all this wasn't enough, your oral health could be adversely impacted as well leading to bad breath and a possible loss of teeth, as well as saggy skin and a weakened immune system.
All in all, it's probably best if you don't do it.
Joe Harker