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Vaping, or the usage of an e-cigarette, has burst onto the social scene over the past decade.
Initially touted as a safe alternative to cigarettes or cigars, these electronic devices took the
country by storm. Now, it wasn’t quite so socially ostracizing to smoke – since it was high-tech
and “not as bad as cigarettes”. Unfortunately, industry often outpaces and precedes scientific
study for these sort of products – and this was no exception. However, the first large-scale
longitudinal study has been published!
Researchers looked at 32,000 adults in the US who reported using e-cigarretes to vape nicotine.
The investigators performed a longitudinal study, which means they followed these subjects
over time and tracked their health.
The study found the following:
- None of the adults had respiratory disease at the beginning of the study
- 3 years after the study began, those who smoked e-cigs were 30% more likely to have
developed respiratory diseases such as asthma, bronchitis, emphysema
- Smoking e-cigarettes is in fact better than smoking combustible tobacco (cigarettes,
cigars, etc) but is still worse than not smoking at all
- As to be expected, smoking both combustible tobacco and e-cigarettes is worse than
smoking either alone, or none at all
These findings are significant, because this study showed that respiratory disease came on
rapidly with the usage of e-cigarettes. These chronic diseases are difficult to treat and greatly
impact quality of life.
While these results may not surprise some of our readers, it is still important to perform
research to evaluate true health risks. This study conclusively shows that chronic respiratory
disease is strongly correlated with e-cigarette usage. The development of these diseases will
effect not just your performance during the race, but also your daily life as well. Let’s keep your
lungs healthy and functioning well for your life and running!
See you next time,
Ryan
1. Bhatta, D. N., & Glantz, S. A. (2019). Association of E-Cigarette Use With Respiratory Disease Among
Adults: A Longitudinal Analysis. American Journal of Preventive Medicine.