What Vaping Really Does To Your Body

Like it or not, vaping has become wildly popular. For many folks, the newest method of nicotine delivery has replaced more traditional habits like smoking cigarettes, which come with a host of negative health effects like emphysema, heart disease, lung cancer, and stroke. Plus vaping arguably smells a lot better than the alternative, making the experience much more pleasant than it would be lingering in a crowded room full of cigarette smokers.

But like most things, vaping comes with consequences, some of which might be surprising to vaping enthusiasts. To that end, it's important to be educated about the potential effects vaping can have on the body, its organs, and its processes. 

So is vaping any better than smoking cigarettes or cigars? Or is it simply a more pleasant way of getting a nicotine fix that's equally harmful? And what is in e-cigarettes that you need to worry about? Without further ado, here's exactly what happens to your body when you vape, according to science.

One nice thing about vaping is that, unlike smoking cigarettes, it won't darken your teeth or cause them to turn yellow or brown, as there's no tar in e-cigarettes. But that doesn't necessarily mean that vaping is good for your oral health, as it can have adverse effects on your mouth.

Specifically, for one, vaping can increase your risk of developing cavities, according to a study in PLOS One. In the study, researchers examined the carcinogenic potential of sweetened vape juice, and found that inhaling it made the mouth a more hospitable environment for developing bacteria. That, in turn, rendered teeth more susceptible to developing cavities, a condition that requires treatment at the dentist and that isn't exactly inexpensive.

Whether or not that's the case for vaping liquids that aren't sweet likely requires more research, but it's evident from this study that, if you're worried about tooth decay, vaping might not be the best idea. 

Unfortunately, vaping can have a negative impact on your gums. And as we all know, healthy gums are super important when it comes to overall oral hygiene, so you want to take care of them.

Specifically, according to a 2016 study in the journal Oncotarget, vaping is associated with inflammation of the gums. And inflammation of the gums is a major indicator of periodontal disease, which is going to cost a pretty penny to treat at the dentist's office.

Gum disease isn't a walk in the park, either. That's because it makes you more likely to deal with gum recession, increased tooth sensitivity, and even tooth loss, according to Delta Dental. And that's on top of the dry mouth and increased risk of cavities you're already more likely to be dealing with. All in all, vaping just isn't good for your oral hygiene whatsoever.

Vaping is often touted by enthusiasts as a cleaner, less dangerous alternative to smoking cigarettes. It certainly smells better, for sure, and the smell lingers far less than conventional tobacco products. Plus you don't have to rely on a source of fire like matches or a lighter to ignite vaping products, which is certainly more convenient than fumbling for a light.

However, vaping still exposes users to a variety of chemicals and particulates that are harmful to the body. This was the finding of a 2019 study in the journal Current Atherosclerosis Reports, which reviewed current literature on the cardiovascular system to ascertain the impact that vaping can have on the heart, circulatory system, and lungs. Once again, researchers found that vaping isn't 100 percent safe.

Researchers did point out that using only vaping products and avoiding cigarettes can help you limit your exposure to these harmful agents. But that's because most people who vape also smoke conventional tobacco products, which is more risky than just vaping alone.

According to the American Lung Association, there are a variety of reasons why kids and teens start vaping, including aggressive marketing tactics from vaping companies, misconceptions about what's really in e-cigarettes, and, of course, good old-fashioned peer pressure. Additionally, the association estimates that approximately 40 percent of all kids have vaped at least once, and 5,700 kids start vaping every day. That is a staggering amount of people picking up the habit!

Once kids start vaping, they're not just exposing themselves to the negative effects that it can cause, either. That's because kids who vape are also more likely to start smoking conventional cigarettes down the road, according to a consensus report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. Of course, that exposes users to the many, well-established health risks associated with tobacco consumption — and that's some pretty bad news.

Your body is only as healthy and strong as the cells that comprise it. That includes everything from the cells that function as your epidermis to the cells that make up your internal organs. To that end, it's important to make sure that you're taking care of yourself to ensure that all of your cells are functioning as best as they possibly can.

Unfortunately for folks who vape, the science is in: Vaping has been shown to hinder cells' ability to function and thrive, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. And that can be a contributing factor in developing heart disease, which can significantly decrease both your quality of life and your life span.

Additionally, in the report Public Health Consequences of E-Cigarettes, researchers found conclusive evidence that the aerosols found in vaping products can induce acute endothelial cell dysfunction, in addition to a number of other undesirable outcomes. That's definitely concerning!

It's been well-established for many years that smoking cigarettes and conventional tobacco products can cause a variety of cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute, including lung cancer, throat cancer, kidney cancer, stomach cancer, and many other forms of the disease. Given that fact, it's not unreasonable to suspect that vaping could have the same kind of unhealthy impact on the body.

But interestingly enough, there's no data available that links vaping and cancer, according to an article in Healthline. Still, that doesn't necessarily mean that vaping is safe overall for a variety of reasons. For one, vaping is a relatively new phenomenon, so there hasn't been enough time to tell how it can damage the body and cause cancer in the long term. Given that most lung cancer diagnoses are made at approximately age 65 and that many people who vape are still young, decades will have to pass before the data is conclusive.

Finally, another barrier obscuring the link between vaping and cancer is that many people who vape are former smokers. That means that it's difficult to prove which habit causes bodily harm.

It used to be that recreational and even medical use of cannabis was completely illegal in all 50 states. However, as attitudes toward the plant have changed over the years, more and more states are legalizing the use of marijuana for both purposes. And, of course, marijuana can be vaped, whether the vape juice contains the CBD component or the more intoxicating THC element.

So is it safe for a person to start vaping marijuana? And does it cause any adverse health effects? According to an article in Healthline, you need to be mindful and to carefully read the packaging on any vape products that contain THC. That's because they can contain much higher levels of THC than conventional marijuana does. It can be so strong, in fact, that it can cause hallucinations, which could be jarring if you're just using THC to relax and unwind.

Ingesting too much THC can also cause anxiety, decreased cognition, poor performance at school, and a host of other side effects. So it's important to be an informed consumer when vaping marijuana.