Study finds using vapes could have horrific consequence for people who used to smoke

A new study has suggested that swapping cigarettes for vapes could come with a sinister side effect.

Although e-cigs have been touted as a tool that can help smokers quit, making the switch might not be as safe as you think.

Partaking in either of these isn't advised, as, to be quite frank, the only thing that should be going into our lungs is air.

However, the NHS says that overall, puffing on a vape is 'less harmful than smoking', while it's also apparently 'one of the most effective' ways to help people quit cigs.

It does warn that vaping is not completely risk-free, as well as emphasising that we're still in the dark about what the long-term impacts of vaping are, too.

But as vapes expose people to 'fewer toxins at lower levels' than the traditional way of getting your nicotine fix, it's supposedly the healthier alternative.

The NHS adds: "Switching to vaping reduces your exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease, and diseases of the heart and circulation like heart attack and stroke."

A lot of people use vapes to ween themselves off cigarettes (Matt Cardy/Getty Images)

However, the safety of these supposed stop-smoking aids has now been called into question in the wake of a new study conducted by health experts.

The research, which was published in the BMC Public Health journal, says that both smokers and vapers are at a higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, which is information most of us were already aware of.

The interesting part of this study is that it suggests former cig smokers who have switched to vaping are in even more danger.

The team analysed 12 observational studies conducted on large numbers of people in the hopes of finding out the correlation between smoking or vaping and suffering a myocardial infarction - AKA, a heart attack - or a stroke.

According to the review, those who puff on e-cigarettes are 1.53 times more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who don't. As well as this, they are 1.05 times more susceptible to having a stroke.

But if you're a vaper who formerly smoked cigarettes, the odds get even worse.

For these folks, the risk of suffering a heart attack in comparison to people who have never vaped more than doubled.

Despite being touted as a stop smoking aid, e-cigs might not be as safe as we thought (Getty Stock Image)

Similarly, the risk of enduring a stroke also spiked, as smokers-turned-vapers are 1.73 times more likely to have one.

Essentially, the research suggests that people who are using vapes to kick their cigarette habit could actually be putting themselves right back in harm's way by using them.

The study concluded: "The use of e-cigarettes may be linked with a higher risk of myocardial infarction as well as stroke, even after adjusting for cigarette smoking as a confounder or in those who were former conventional cigarette smokers. Further well-designed longitudinal studies are needed to confirm these findings and inform policymakers on the health effects of e-cigarette use."

Even though more research is needed, it's certainly food for thought - and if you're thinking of quitting smoking, it might be best to try other avenues to help you along the way, rather than e-cigs.