Vaping vs Smoking: ​​What Research has Found So Far
(Photo : Rubén Bagüés via Unsplash)

If you're planning to make the switch from smoking to vaping, you'll most likely be wondering about the differences between the two. 

While e-cigarettes and cigarettes are alike in that they are both inhaled to deliver nicotine, vaping does not deliver thousands of other harmful chemicals in the body. This is because e-liquids do not contain tobacco, but rather varying strengths of nicotine to help satisfy cravings. 

There's a multitude of e-liquids and flavours to choose from alongside different types of vape kits. Among the most popular for beginner vapers are smaller, lower-powered pod kits and disposable vapes, such as the Elf Bar disposable vape

What have vaping VS smoking studies found so far? 

The fundamental difference between the two is that vaping presents significantly lower health risks compared to smoking. In fact, the NHS strongly supports the usage of e-cigarettes as a smoking cessation method, while PHE have even claimed that e-cigarettes are 95% safer than cigarettes

In February 2021, PHE revealed that vaping devices are proving to be more effective than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT), which was once thought to be the best choice for quitting. 

In the same report, it was found that vaping had the highest quit success rates in local stop smoking services between 59.7% and 74% in 2019 and 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, e-cigarettes were the most popular quitting aid used by smokers, with 27.2% using a vaping product compared to 18.2% using NRT. 

Alongside the NHS and PHE, there have been several other studies which have praised the usage of e-cigarettes and added to the weight of scientific evidence.

One example of this is a study carried out by Imperial Brands Science in April 2021. This recent comparative research between e-cigs and cigarettes brought great news for the vaping community. Through their analysis, the company found that undiluted vape e-liquids and their aerosols have an "entirely absent" or "vastly reduced" potential of DNA damage to our cells

How many people vape in England?

Within recent years, both the popularity and social acceptance of vaping has increased dramatically with no signs of stopping. Interestingly, ASH (Action on Smoking and Health) have reported that over 93% of the general public had heard of vaping as compared to 49% in 2012. 

According to a 2021 study from ASH, there are over 3.6 million adult vapers in England at present. When we compare this to nearly 7 million smokers in England, this is an encouraging figure.

Is vaping as harmful as smoking?

At present, there's no conclusive answer. While we can't say that vaping is one hundred percent safe for our health, we do know that e-cigarettes present significantly lower health risks as opposed to smoking. When comparing the two, it's important to remember that vape devices act as a tool to combat the cravings that come with quitting smoking, rather than a tool to harm our health.