The prevalence of vaping (using e-cigarettes) has risen rapidly since its introduction to USA in 2007 as a form of smoking cessation therapy, mostly among youth.

With that rise comes several questions: what is the difference between vaping and smoking? Is vaping better than smoking, or even worse? Can vaping really help you quit smoking? And so on.

If you are trying to quite smoking cigarettes, and you’re considering vaping as a “safer” alternative, there are things you should know.

In this article, we will discuss the differences between vaping and smoking and consider the long-term side effects and risks of both.

Smoking vs Vaping: What's the Difference?

The fundamental difference between smoking traditional cigarettes and vaping is smoke versus vapor.

Smoking is the practice of inhaling smoke from burning plant material - tobacco leaf. It delivers nicotine and other harmful substances to your lungs.

 Vaping is a new and high-tech method that uses a battery-operated atomizer to heat an e-liquid or “e-juice,” creating a vapor that is consumed.

Vape e-liquid contains of nicotine, propylene glycol, vegetable glycerin, flavourings, water and other chemicals, although some vaping liquids may be free of nicotine.

Is Vaping Better than Smoking?

Smoking release thousands of different poisonous chemicals when they burn, and up to 70 cause cancer. It puts you at risk for cancer, stroke, heart attack, lung disease and other health issues. 

Unlike smoking cigarettes, vaping doesn’t contain carbon monoxide, tar, particulate matter, or the other byproducts of burning tobacco.   It exposes users to fewer toxins than smoking tobacco. 

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.

Scientists have estimated that vaping exclusively is about 95% less harmful, healthier, safer, or "better" than smoking cigarettes.

 However, Vaping is not completely harmless. It still poses many of the same risks that smoking does. For example, Nicotine addiction, other harmful substances, etc. 

Is vaping harmful? Side effects of Vaping

Research so far shows that vaping is far less harmful than smoking. But it is not risk-free and we don't yet know their long-term effects.

1. Nicotine addiction

Vapes contain nicotine, a highly addictive chemical that works on your brain to create a relaxing, pleasurable feeling, which makes it tough to quit. 

Many people who smoke or vape develop nicotine dependence. When you cut back or quit using nicotine-containing products, the lack of nicotine in your body can cause uncomfortable symptoms. 

This chemical compound also can harm brain development in teens under age 25, affecting the parts of the brain that control learning, mood control, attention, and impulse control.

Non-smokers and young people under 18 should not take up vaping.

2. Bad for Heart and Lungs

Research suggests vaping is bad for your heart and lungs.  

The nicotine in vape raises your blood pressure and spikes your adrenaline, which increases your heart rate and the likelihood of having a heart attack.

Lung injury is becoming more and more common in users of vaping products. The particles you inhale while vaping can cause inflammation (swelling) and irritation in your lungs.

Vapes come in a range of flavors, designed in part to attract younger users. Flavorings include harmful chemicals like diacetyl, which gives a buttery taste to popcorn, candy and other products and has been linked to severe lung disease.

Some e-cigarettes also contain Vitamin E Acetate, a thickening agent associated with lung damage.

In addition to chemicals, some vaping fluids and devices contain heavy metals like lead, tin and nickel, which can be toxic when inhaled.

Although less amount, e-cigs can also contain small pieces of debris that found in cigarettes, when inhaled, can irritate your sensitive lung tissue. The deeper you inhale, the more damage these tiny particles can do.

3. Unknown risks

Vaping first rose to popularity around 2007 – which means there is still a lot to be learned about its long-terms impacts.  

Can vaping help you quit smoking?

Smoking causes at least 15 different types of cancer so stopping smoking completely is the best thing you can do for your health. 

The nicotine in tobacco leads to actual physical dependence. This can cause unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when a person tries to quit. 

Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. It can help relieve some of the physical withdrawal symptoms so that you can focus on the psychological (emotional) aspects of quitting.

Generally, E-cigarettes or Vapes are more effective than nicotine-replacement therapy (NRT) in helping smokers quit.

Using an e-cigarette can help you manage your nicotine cravings. To get the best out of it, make sure you're using it as much as you need to and with the right strength of nicotine in your e-liquid.

Of course, for people who have not started smoking or vaping, the best path is to avoid nicotine products completely.

How to quit smoking with NRT?

While nicotine is the addictive substance in cigarettes, most of the diseases from smoking are not caused by nicotine, which is relatively harmless to health.

NRT has been widely used for many years to help people stop smoking and is a safe treatment.

Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) gives you nicotine – in the form of gum, patches, sprays, inhalers, or lozenges – but not the other harmful chemicals in tobacco.

In Conclusion

Because vaping is far less harmful than smoking, your health could benefit from switching from smoking to vaping. And you will reduce your risk of getting lung disease.

Additionally, Switching from cigarettes to e-cigarettes could also save you a lot of money. Some people spend more than others, but in general, smoking costs over three times as much as vaping.

However, vaping is not risk-free. Vaping and smoking share similar negative effects on the body, such as damage to the lungs and increased cancer risk.

The best way to improve your health is to quit both smoking and vaping.