New evidence, in the form of detailed research by tobacco experts, has uncovered a fact about using electronic cigarettes over the more traditional ones containing tobacco: they’re almost 100% healthier. Those of us working on our health and fitness plans, but still having the occasional tobacco cigarette — perhaps in the evenings or at weekend parties — may want to consider making the switch.
Up until now there has been considerable confusion about e-cigarettes — using them is called “vaping”, not “smoking”, as no smoke, but instead vapor, is given off — with many people unsure about whether or not vaping was safer than smoking. This is hardly surprising, given that e-cigarettes haven’t been around all that long and have only really began to take off in popularity in the last few years. Since then, people desperate to kick their smoking habit have increasingly been switching to e-cigs, with vape gear like Juul in huge demand, and many have successfully managed to quit tobacco, according to health authorities in Britain, at least.
The leading health authority in England, Public Health England (PHE), recently issued a revised review of e-cigarettes seeking to reassure a worried public about any health risks associated with vaping. Indeed, the UK has been at the forefront of vaping research and health chiefs there are now urging smokers to take up vaping instead, as they have concluded that it’s far healthier and contains almost none of the risks associated with smoking tobacco.
Vaping Vs Smoking
For its review, PHE had a panel of top independent tobacco experts examine e-cigarette use among adults and young people, and looked at the impact vaping has in helping people to quit deadly smoking. Tobacco products, after all, kill half their users and, around the world, some 7 million people die each year due to tobacco-related illnesses — nearly 1 million of whom only inhale secondhand smoke.
After their research, the tobacco experts declared that:
- Vaping poses only a small fraction of the risks of smoking and switching completely from smoking to vaping conveys substantial health benefits
- E-cigarettes could be contributing to at least 20,000 successful new quits per year and possibly many more
- E-cigarette use is associated with improved quit success rates over the last year and an accelerated drop in smoking rates across the country.
But due to a lack of understanding among the public about the clear health benefits of vaping compared to smoking, many smokers were still fearful of using e-cigarettes. The heath body said: “many thousands of smokers incorrectly believe that vaping is as harmful as smoking; around 40% of smokers have not even tried an e-cigarette.”
What’s in an E-Cig Anyway?
The important health aspect of e-cigarettes, compared to tobacco cigarettes, is that they don’t contain all the many thousands of harmful chemicals emitted during the process of burning tobacco, at least 70 of which are known to cause various cancers. E-cigs have e-liquid refills that may or may not have nicotine in them, but will have a fruit flavor, like strawberry, pineapple or mango, or a traditional flavor such as tobacco or menthol. All are easily available at a good online vape store.
Smokers can now get the nicotine they want, without the poisonous chemicals that come from burning tobacco. Nicotine is not known to be especially harmful to the human body and its effects have been likened to those of caffeine in coffee. With e-liquids containing varying strengths of nicotine, smokers who make the change can gradually lower the amount they vape until they can just enjoying vaping for the flavors alone.
It all adds up to a huge boost in any smoker’s health and fitness plan.