Vaping may be worse for people’s long-term health than smoking, the author of a new study has claimed.
Although the NHS recommends that vaping is safer than smoking cigarettes, the author behind a study into the long term effects of vaping has said it can put users at risk of dementia, heart disease and organ failure.
Dr Maxime Boidin a senior lecturer in cardiac rehabilitation at Manchester Metropolitan University - whose study concludes in March - told the Mirror: “Smokers tend to go outside and smoke, and once a cigarette is finished they have to light up another to keep going.
“But with vapes, you just keep going and it’s much harder to know how many puffs you’ve had.
“It’s much easier to vape continuously because you can do it in places where smoking might be less acceptable.”
He added that he believed the mixture of metals and chemicals found in vapes can cause inflammation and oxidative stress, which can lead to artery inner wall damage and cell death.
“When you put this mixture of metals and chemicals into your body you can’t expect nothing to happen,” he said.
In the study, participants between 18 and 45 with similar levels of fitness are given regular tests to measure the elasticity of their blood vessels and the speed of blood flow to their brains.
Smokers and vapers in the study are recording a flat reading, signaling damaged artery walls which can no longer dilate - a serious sign of future health problems.
However, Dr Marina Murphy, scientific spokesperson for the UK Vaping Industry Association, dismissed the claims, saying: “Millions of people have been using vaping products safely for many years.
“All the available data suggests that vapes are unlikely to exceed 5% of the health risks associated with cigarettes.”
According to the latest data, the proportion of the population who currently vape is 11%, the highest rate ever, equal to 5.6 million adults in Great Britain.
More than half (53%) of current vapers are ex-smokers, equal to three million people.
