Health Studies on Vaping: What Does the Latest Research Say?

Health Studies on Vaping: What Does the Latest Research Say?

Vaping started as a “safer” alternative to cigarettes. Now it’s a global habit with millions of users, including teenagers.

In this article, we’ll break down what recent health research really says about vaping: short- and long-term risks, how it compares to smoking, what it means for youth, and what major health organizations now recommend.

What Are Scientists Actually Studying About Vaping?

Vaping has not been around as long as cigarettes. That means we don’t have 40–50 years of data yet. But research is growing fast.

Today, most health studies on vaping focus on:

• Short-term effects on breathing, heart rate and blood pressure
  
• Long-term risks for heart disease, lung disease and cancer
  
• Youth vaping and its impact on brain development and future smoking
  
• Population impact – whether vaping helps more people quit or creates new nicotine users
  
• Serious lung injuries linked to certain black-market products
  

Major journals and agencies like the World Health Organization (WHO), CDC, American Heart Association (AHA) and Cochrane have all released updated reports in the last few years.

What Do Major Health Organizations Say About Vaping?

WHO’s Position

WHO states clearly that e-cigarettes are harmful to health and not safe, especially for children, teenagers and pregnant women.

Key points from recent WHO updates:

• Nicotine is highly addictive and harmful to the developing brain.
  
• High-quality studies show that young people who vape are about three times more likely to start smoking cigarettes later.
  
• At least 15 million teenagers (13–15 years) now vape worldwide, and teens are on average nine times more likely to vape than adults in countries with data.
  

CDC and U.S. Health Authorities

The U.S. CDC says: no tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, are safe for youth, young adults or pregnant women.

They highlight that:

• Most vapes contain nicotine, which can harm brain development in areas linked to attention, learning, mood and impulse control.
  
• Flavors, peer use and marketing drive youth uptake.
  

American Heart Association

The AHA reviewed current evidence in 2023 and concluded that vaping:

• Exposes users to harmful chemicals and ultrafine particles
  
• Can cause acute changes in blood pressure, heart rate and blood vessel function
  
• Has unknown long-term cardiovascular effects, but early data are concerning.

Their message is simple: vaping may be less toxic than smoking, but it still carries real cardiovascular and lung risks.

UAE.S 5030:2018, – Law

In the UAE, vaping is regulated under UAE.S 5030:2018, which sets strict rules for all electronic nicotine products. The law treats vaping much like traditional smoking. This means adults can use e-cigarettes, but only in designated smoking areas, and using them in prohibited public spaces—such as malls, parks, offices, and public transport—can result in heavy fines. Selling vape products to anyone under 18 is strictly illegal. All devices and e-liquids must meet national safety standards, follow nicotine limits, and display clear health warnings in both Arabic and English. These rules are designed to protect youth, reduce exposure in public places, and ensure only safe, certified products reach the market.

Read more about UAE’s Vaping Law

Short-Term Health Effects of Vaping

Short-term means what happens within minutes to months of use.

Common findings from human and lab studies:

• Airway irritation – coughing, throat irritation, chest tightness, wheezing
  
• Increased heart rate and blood pressure right after vaping
  
• Changes in blood vessel function, including reduced ability of vessels to relax, which can stress the heart over time

A 2024 review on cardiopulmonary effects noted:

• Nicotine vapes can trigger sympathetic nervous system activation (the “fight or flight” response).
  
• This can increase heart rate, raise blood pressure and affect how blood vessels behave, even in young adults.
  

Some longitudinal data from the PATH study (a large U.S. cohort) found that patterns of current vaping were linked to more fatigue, pain and emotional problems compared to non-users, although the relationship is complex and sometimes tied to dual use with cigarettes.

Long-Term Health Risks: What Do We Know So Far?

Long-term vaping impacts are still being mapped, but several themes are emerging from reviews and cohort studies.

Heart and Blood Vessels

Recent systematic and narrative reviews show:

• Vaping is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular symptoms and events, especially in heavy or long-term users and those who also smoke.
  
• Case reports and small clinical series describe heart attacks, arrhythmias and stroke in people with heavy vaping histories, sometimes with few other risk factors.
  

A 2025 re-analysis in Harm Reduction Journal argued that some earlier meta-analyses may have over-estimated cardiovascular risk due to data and bias issues, and that risks might be lower than smoking. But even that paper agreed that dual users (vaping and smoking) appear to face higher odds of disease than smokers alone.

The bottom line: the latest research suggests that vaping stresses the cardiovascular system and may raise long-term risk, but exact levels of risk versus smoking are still being debated.

Lungs and Respiratory Health

Vaping avoids tar and some combustion products found in cigarettes, but it brings its own lung concerns:

• Reviews link vaping to chronic bronchitis-type symptoms, asthma flare-ups and reduced lung function measures in some users.
  
• A 2023–2024 toxicology review described cases of:
  
  • E-cigarette or vaping-associated lung injury (EVALI)
    
  • Exogenous lipoid pneumonia
    
  • Diffuse alveolar damage and bronchiolitis obliterans (“popcorn lung”-type patterns)
    

Most EVALI cases were tied to illegal THC vapes containing vitamin E acetate, but the episode showed how rapidly inhaled chemicals can damage lungs.

Long-term COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) risk is still unclear, but several population studies suggest that vapers have higher odds of respiratory disease than non-users, especially if they also smoke.

Cancer Risk

We do not yet have decades of data like we do for cigarettes. But early evidence raises concerns:

• Vapes can deliver formaldehyde, acrolein and other reactive compounds, especially at high power.
  
• Lab studies show DNA damage, oxidative stress and cell changes in airway tissues exposed to e-cigarette aerosols.
  
• Case reports have linked long-term vaping to lung cancer, but these are still rare and cannot prove causation alone.
  

Most experts say this: vaping likely carries lower cancer risk than smoking, but it is unlikely to be risk-free, especially with heavy use over many years.

Metabolic Health: Diabetes and Prediabetes

New research is starting to look at metabolic effects:

• A 2025 study from the University of Georgia found that vaping was linked to a higher risk of prediabetes, and that people who both smoke and vape had even higher odds of prediabetes and diabetes than smokers alone.
  

This line of research is still early, but it suggests nicotine and other vape chemicals may also affect blood sugar regulation and metabolic health.

Vaping vs Smoking: Which Is Worse?

This is the most common question, and the answer is nuanced.

What the Latest Evidence Says

• Cigarettes burn tobacco and release thousands of chemicals, including many proven carcinogens.
  
• Vapes typically expose users to fewer toxic substances and much lower levels of some carcinogens.
  
• For adult smokers, multiple Cochrane reviews (updated to 2025) now find high-certainty evidence that nicotine e-cigarettes help more people quit smoking than nicotine patches or gums, with no clear signal of serious short-term harms in the trials.
  

In simple terms:

• If a smoker fully switches from cigarettes to regulated nicotine vapes, their exposure to many known toxicants is likely to fall, and their health risks are likely lower than if they kept smoking.
  
• But vaping still carries risks, especially for the heart and lungs. It should not be seen as harmless or as a lifestyle product for non-smokers.
  

For non-smokers, teenagers and pregnant people, major agencies (WHO, CDC, AHA) strongly advise against starting to vape at all.

Youth Vaping, Brain Development and Smoking Risk

This is where the research is most consistent and worrying.

Brain and Behaviour

Nicotine affects the developing brain:

• It can alter circuits involved in decision-making, attention, learning, mood and impulse control.CDC+2World Health Organization+2
  
• These changes may increase the risk of addiction, anxiety and mood problems later.
  

CDC data show that in the U.S., vapes have been the most commonly used tobacco product among middle and high school students for about a decade.

“Gateway” to Smoking

Several meta-analyses of longitudinal studies (following teens over time) show:

• Teens who try e-cigarettes are about 3–4 times more likely to start smoking cigarettes later, compared with those who never vape.
  

Some more recent work questions whether this is purely causal or partly due to shared risk factors (risk-taking, peer groups, etc.).

But major health bodies still see vaping as a clear risk factor for later smoking, and they treat it as a serious youth prevention issue.

Special Groups: Who Faces Extra Risk?

Pregnant People

Studies suggest that nicotine from any source (cigarettes, vapes, nicotine pouches) can affect:

• Fetal brain development
  
• Lung development
  
• Pregnancy outcomes (such as low birth weight)
  

Most guidelines state that pregnant people should not vape and should work with healthcare professionals on safer cessation options.

People with Heart or Lung Disease

If you already have:

• Heart disease
  
• High blood pressure
  
• Arrhythmias
  
• Asthma or COPD
  

…then extra nicotine and aerosol exposure can worsen symptoms and raise risk of complications.

People with Diabetes or Metabolic Risk

With new data linking vaping to prediabetes and diabetes risk, people with existing metabolic issues may need to be especially cautious.

Snapshot: What Recent Vaping Health Studies Are Finding

Topic	Recent Evidence Highlights
Cardiovascular health	Acute increases in heart rate and blood pressure; concerns about long-term heart risk.
Lung health	Links to bronchitis-type symptoms, asthma flares, and EVALI in THC/vitamin E acetate products.
Cancer risk	Fewer carcinogens than smoke, but evidence of DNA damage and concern about long-term cancer risk.
Diabetes and metabolic disease	New 2025 study: higher prediabetes risk in vapers; even higher in dual users.
Youth addiction and brain health	Strong evidence of nicotine dependence and brain impact in teens and young adults.
Smoking cessation	2024–2025 Cochrane reviews: nicotine vapes help more smokers quit than NRT, with no major short-term safety signal in trials.

Practical Takeaways for Different Types of Readers

If You Don’t Smoke

• Do not start vaping.
  
• You gain no health benefit and only add risk.
  
• Use this research as a reason to avoid “trying it once” or using vapes for stress or social reasons.
  

If You Vape but Never Smoked

• You are exposing yourself to addiction and health risks without any benefit of moving away from cigarettes.
  
• Consider quitting vaping using counselling and evidence-based support.
  
• Avoid high-nicotine products and heavy daily use while you plan your exit.
  

If You Smoke and Are Thinking About Switching

The evidence suggests:

• Fully switching from smoking to regulated nicotine vapes can reduce exposure to many toxic chemicals.
  
• Using vapes and cigarettes (dual use) may keep risks high or even increase them for some diseases.
  

Practical tips:

1. Work with a healthcare professional or cessation clinic.
   
2. Set a clear quit date for cigarettes if you use a vape as a bridge.
   
3. Use regulated products only; avoid black-market liquids or THC vapes.
   
4. Once smoke-free, consider whether you can gradually reduce nicotine in your vape and eventually stop.
   

If You’re a Parent, Teacher or Youth Worker

Learn how common youth vaping is and how flavours and social media drive it.

Have calm, factual conversations about:

• Brain development
  
• Addiction
  
• Real health cases (like EVALI and early heart problems)
  

Support school policies that:

• Limit vape access
  
• Restrict marketing
  
• Offer support for teens who want to quit
  

Common Misconceptions About Vaping (and What Research Shows)

1. “It’s just water vapour.”
   False. Vape aerosol contains nicotine, solvents, flavour chemicals, and often metals and reactive compounds.
   
2. “If it’s nicotine-free, it’s safe.”
   Not necessarily. Some “nicotine-free” products still contain irritants and toxic chemicals, and lab tests sometimes detect nicotine anyway.
   
3. “Everyone agrees vaping is as bad as smoking now.”
   Not true. Many experts still think fully switching from smoking to vapes can reduce harm, but they also stress that vaping is not harmless, especially for youth.
   
4. “Vaping is the best way to quit.”
   For some smokers, nicotine vapes work better than patches or gum. But they are not the only option, and long-term safety is still being studied.
   

Conclusion: What Does the Latest Research Really Say?

The latest health studies on vaping paint a clear picture:

Vaping is not harmless. It stresses the heart and lungs, may affect metabolic health, and carries unknown long-term risks.

For youth and non-smokers, the risks far outweigh any benefits. There is no health reason to start.

For adult smokers, switching completely from cigarettes to regulated vapes can reduce exposure to many harmful chemicals. It may help with quitting, but it should ideally be part of a broader plan to eventually stop nicotine entirely.

If you smoke or vape and you’re worried about your health, the most important step is simple: talk to a healthcare professional. Ask about all your options, including approved cessation medicines, counselling, and, if appropriate, how to use vaping as a short-term bridge rather than a permanent habit.