A study from Manchester Metropolitan University has revealed that young people who prefer vaping are in just as poor physical shape as those who smoke traditional tobacco cigarettes.
According to the experiment’s findings, young vapers and tobacco smokers performed worse in physical exercises compared to their peers who neither vape nor smoke. This has led the university team to challenge the common belief that vaping is a healthy alternative to smoking, as reported by the Daily Mail.
Vaping is Harmful!
The researchers involved 60 participants aged between 20 and 30. One-third of the participants neither smoked nor vaped, another third had been vaping for at least two years, and the final third had been smoking regular cigarettes for two years or more.
All volunteers were asked to pedal on a stationary bike with gradually increasing resistance. This is considered the gold standard for assessing physical capabilities. During this exercise, it becomes clear how well a person’s heart, lungs, and muscles cope with increasing physical demands.
Participants were also asked to undergo blood tests and ultrasound scans to accurately evaluate the functioning of their arteries.
The experiment showed that the group of participants who neither vaped nor smoked were in the best physical condition. Their maximum power output reached 226 watts with an oxygen consumption of 3 liters per minute. Meanwhile, the maximum power output for the young vapers was 186 watts with an oxygen consumption of 2.71 liters per minute. As for the tobacco smokers, they showed a maximum power output of 182 watts with an oxygen consumption of 2.6 liters per minute.
Blood tests and ultrasound scans indicated that both vapers and traditional cigarette smokers exhibited signs that their blood vessels were not functioning as well as those of non-smokers and non-vapers.
Smokers and vapers experienced more shortness of breath, felt significant leg fatigue, and had higher levels of lactate in their blood (a sign of muscle fatigue) even before reaching maximum exertion.
Dr. Azmi Faisal, the lead author of the study, presented the findings at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Vienna, noting, “Both smokers and vapers exhibited significant hyperventilation during the cycling exercise. They found it harder to breathe, their muscles fatigued more quickly, and overall, they were in worse shape.”
“Our research showed that vaping is no better than smoking,” Dr. Faisal emphasized.
Meanwhile, Dr. Philippos Philippidis, a representative of the ERS Tobacco Control Committee and a public health lecturer at Imperial College London, pointed out, “Vapes are sold at low prices and come in various flavors to attract young people. As a result, we are seeing more and more young individuals picking up this habit without understanding the long-term health consequences it may have.”