Could vaping actually be healthy

[francis_a]

healthy is pretty doubtful... inhaling any foreign substances (not oxygen) into your lungs is bad for you.

Then smoker or non-smoker, vaper or non-vaper are all screwed since I'm pretty sure we don't inhale pure oxygen
Sorry just messing with ya.

On a more serious note, I would say it's all relative depends on what you compare it with. Compared to analogs, definitely much safer, like 400-fold. Now someone who has never smoked and takes up vaping is another story .

 

[taz666]

Seriously... Everything is bad for you nowadays. Shampoo usage can lead to cancer? I'm not going to stop washing my hair, even if I shave my head! I'm sure inhaling even VG juices can't be exactly healthy for you either.

lol! the fumes from traffic are slowly killing me

 

[joeperson]

Hopefully indeed. Wouldn't want to have to change your forum name. :O

I noticed this also and my main reason to lower it as much as possible. Lowered circulation in my feet (hopefully that's the only place...).

 

[jlarsen]

Regardless of any health benefits from nicotine, it is still a vasoconstrictor, which is bad news for the circulatory system. I would think that the best "healthy" result from vaping would come from very low level nic liquids, lower than most vapers are using. Nic is present in a number of veggies, but in very low levels compared to tobacco or ejuice.

PG might have a germicidal effect that could be beneficial. Nicotine may have a positive impact on ulcerative colitis, and/or alzheimers, and/or parkinsons. vaping may eliminate 99.7%+ of the carcinogens in smoking, as well as the soot and other chemicals, which means a virtual elimination of pulminary disease and cancer compared with smoking.

But, as long as nic levels remain relatively high, vaping does little to combat the risk of heart attack and stroke associated with smoking.

IMO, healthiest vaping would also probably mean: sans flavors, sweeteners, and additives that increase TH. Nothing but PG (if you aren't allergic) and a small amount of nicotine. That would also be fairly boring vaping for most.

I know that smoking effects the downstairs piping as well, but I don't know how much of that is due to the effects of soot and CO in cigarettes or the vasoconstrictor effect of nicotine. I could be wrong, but I would suspect that men would do well if they could lower or eliminate their their nicotine consumption.

 

[jlarsen]

healthy is pretty doubtful... inhaling any foreign substances (not oxygen) into your lungs is bad for you.

The difference is that the foreign objects in smoking are primarily soot, which consists of small solid particles that clog the lungs. Vaping chemicals are aerosolized liquids, which may or may not be (but probably are) absorbed by the lungs.

Atomspheric air is mostly nitrogen, followed by oxygen, then carbon dioxide, and few other trace gasses. But it is true, our lungs are really only developed to inhale the gasses in our atmosphere, preferably in the ratios that they exist in our atmosphere, and not PG, VG and candy flavorings.

Vaping chemicals (without regard to nicotine) is not risk free, even if those chemicals are approved for consumption as food additives.

I'll take glycerin in my lungs over soot any day though.

 

[jlarsen]

I don't think nicotine would be considered "healthy" even if it does have some benefits for some people. Nicotine by itself is not really unhealthy for most people, but it is no doubt addictive. If you're not a smoker I wouldn't really suggest that you start vaping.

I had nearly weened myself off cigarettes before I started vaping. I probably could have quit altogether without ecigs. But there is always a chance of a relapse, and I was still occasionally smoking when drinking. But technically I was a smoker, and addicted to nicotine, having been a 1/2 PAD smoker for about 10 years once upon a time.

Taking up vaping probably wasn't my best decision or totally necessary for me like it is with a lot of smokers. I do find myself vaping more than I had been smoking prior to quitting, which isn't a good thing, and why I need to drastically reduce the nicotine levels in my juice, otherwise I've just restarted a bad habit rather than having eliminated one.

I wonder though, if a non-smoker is likely to become a smoker, wouldn't the be better off becoming a vaper instead? If a non-smoker starts vaping, how can you know for sure that it isn't a good move? I guess there's no way to know if someone would have ended up a smoker or not...

 

[swedishfish]

Regardless of any health benefits from nicotine, it is still a vasoconstrictor, which is bad news for the circulatory system. I would think that the best "healthy" result from vaping would come from very low level nic liquids, lower than most vapers are using. Nic is present in a number of veggies, but in very low levels compared to tobacco or ejuice.

PG might have a germicidal effect that could be beneficial. Nicotine may have a positive impact on ulcerative colitis, and/or alzheimers, and/or parkinsons. Vaping may eliminate 99.7%+ of the carcinogens in smoking, as well as the soot and other chemicals, which means a virtual elimination of pulminary disease and cancer compared with smoking.

But, as long as nic levels remain relatively high, vaping does little to combat the risk of heart attack and stroke associated with smoking.

IMO, healthiest vaping would also probably mean: sans flavors, sweeteners, and additives that increase TH. Nothing but PG (if you aren't allergic) and a small amount of nicotine. That would also be fairly boring vaping for most.

I know that smoking effects the downstairs piping as well, but I don't know how much of that is due to the effects of soot and CO in cigarettes or the vasoconstrictor effect of nicotine. I could be wrong, but I would suspect that men would do well if they could lower or eliminate their their nicotine consumption.

I'd be interested to see if any testing was done regarding this.

This particular individual who was a heavy smoker and vapor had minimal nicotine in blood work.

http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com/fo...3-blood-test-lab-results-nicotine-levels.html

I'm wondering if the same thing would be true regarding circulation. Very curious. My mother has vascular issues and her doctor is head of vascular medicine at Univ of PA and is fine with her vaping. I didn't ask him why he was fine with it. It may be that she's elderly and there's really no point in worrying or he doesn't see any harm.

 

[StormFinch]

Everyone for years kept saying that nicotine is a vasioconstrictor until this has become the norm. The problem was, no one was separating the nicotine from the tobacco. For the last decade however they have been studying just nicotine. In actuality, nicotine promotes the growth of blood vessels. They're looking at using it in drugs for diabetics because they have such a high rate of amputation due to circulation problems.

Unfortunately, not only does nicotine increase the growth of healthy tissue via new circulation, it can also increase the growth rate of both tumors and arterial plaque. In other words, if you've already succumbed to some of the other 4000+ ingredients in cigarettes, or have a propensity toward clogged arteries, either by health choices or genetics, nicotine only accelerates those problems.

Nicotine Stimulates New Blood Vessel Formation; Also Promotes Tumor Growth And Atherosclerosis

 

[swedishfish]

Everyone for years kept saying that nicotine is a vasioconstrictor until this has become the norm. The problem was, no one was separating the nicotine from the tobacco. For the last decade however they have been studying just nicotine. In actuality, nicotine promotes the growth of blood vessels. They're looking at using it in drugs for diabetics because they have such a high rate of amputation due to circulation problems.

Unfortunately, not only does nicotine increase the growth of healthy tissue via new circulation, it can also increase the growth rate of both tumors and arterial plaque. In other words, if you've already succumbed to some of the other 4000+ ingredients in cigarettes, or have a propensity toward clogged arteries, either by health choices or genetics, nicotine only accelerates those problems.

Nicotine Stimulates New Blood Vessel Formation; Also Promotes Tumor Growth And Atherosclerosis

Thanks so much for the great article, very interesting.

My point is maybe we aren't actually getting all that much nicotine as it is if this person's blood work is any indication.

 

[Descente36]

the article states that nicotine accelerates tumor growth by delivering extra oxygen to the tumor. So it'd only be unhealthy IF you had a tumor growth already.

 

[StormFinch]

Thanks so much for the great article, very interesting.

My point is maybe we aren't actually getting all that much nicotine as it is if this person's blood work is any indication.

Sorry Swedishfish, I wasn't directing that solely at you. Personally, I'm still waiting on the Virginia Commonwealth study, but according to the few other scientists that have looked into it, we as e-cig users are only absorbing around 10% to 40% (depending on vape style) of the mg amount. From what I've read, that amount is comparable to that of the nicotine inhaler.

 

[jlarsen]

the article states that nicotine accelerates tumor growth by delivering extra oxygen to the tumor. So it'd only be unhealthy IF you had a tumor growth already.

Approximately a third of people die from cancer. Some cancer doesn't lead to death, so more than a third have it at some point in their life. That doesn't include non-cancerous tumors (that aren't entirely without risk to health and life) - I bet roughly 50% have a tumor at some point in their life.

 

[jlarsen]

Everyone for years kept saying that nicotine is a vasioconstrictor until this has become the norm. The problem was, no one was separating the nicotine from the tobacco. For the last decade however they have been studying just nicotine. In actuality, nicotine promotes the growth of blood vessels. They're looking at using it in drugs for diabetics because they have such a high rate of amputation due to circulation problems.

Could the growth of new blood vessels just be the body's method of coping with the lack of circulation caused by nicotine constricting the vessels to begin with?

 

[cactusgirl]

This is an interesting discussion for sure! I am a regular blood donor (pretty much every 56 days as per Canadian Blood Services protocols). I made a donation back in December, began vaping at the end of January (quitting analogs) and happened to donate blood just last night for the first time since this lifestyle change. Here are some observations that I made:

1) My hemoglobin was good (131) despite being on my period (I know, tmi for some...but in the past, I have been denied as a donor because my hemoglobin tends drops below 125 [CBS acceptable level] during my period).
2) My blood pressure was 104/69...typically the systolic is in the low 120's and diastolic is in the 70's.
3) It took less than 5 minutes to complete the donation....typically takes me 8-12 minutes.

Based on the above, I would guess that my circulation has improved (whether significant or not, I don't know) since switching to e-cigs. I realize that it's difficult to make conclusions based on this one event but I will continue to monitor. My next donation is in May so it will be interesting to note if these fluxuations were just fluke or if it's a trend.

 

[Rosa]

the article states that nicotine accelerates tumor growth by delivering extra oxygen to the tumor. So it'd only be unhealthy IF you had a tumor growth already.

Nicotine also inhibits your bodies own natural cancer fighting enzymes. So if you use nicotine and just happen to develop a cancer then the nicotine will keep your body from fighting it off. Note that this is not the same thing as actually causing the cancer to begin with.

 

[N2rock]

Yes, this article is probably the one he read about:
Medicine: Air Germicide - TIME
Fascinating!

I find this part intereresting

Propylene glycol is harmless to man when swallowed or injected into the veins. It is also harmless to mice who have breathed it for long periods. But medical science is cautious—there was still a remote chance that glycol might accumulate harmfully in the erect human lungs which, unlike those of mice, do not drain themselves. So last June Dr. Robertson began studying the effect of glycol vapor on monkeys imported from the University of Puerto Rico's School of Tropical Medicine. So far, after many months' exposure to the vapor, the monkeys are happy and fatter than ever. Dr. Robertson does not expect mankind to live, like his monkeys, continuously in an atmosphere of glycol vapor; but it should be most valuable in such crowded places as schools and theaters, where most respiratory diseases are picked up.

Read more: Medicine: Air Germicide - TIME

 

[Rosa]

...the monkeys are happy and fatter than ever.

... well, I know that I'm sure happy and fatter than ever!

 

[swedishfish]

Sorry Swedishfish, I wasn't directing that solely at you. Personally, I'm still waiting on the Virginia Commonwealth study, but according to the few other scientists that have looked into it, we as e-cig users are only absorbing around 10% to 40% (depending on vape style) of the mg amount. From what I've read, that amount is comparable to that of the nicotine inhaler.

No, I know you weren't directing it at me, I just wanted thank you for posting the article.

 

[StormFinch]

No, I know you weren't directing it at me, I just wanted thank you for posting the article.

Well then I apologize again and you're very welcome.

 

[swedishfish]

No need to apologize at all. I did add the bit about the nicotine in the bloodtest because that keeps going around in my head. Sort of thinking out loud, so it was confusing.

I do enjoy reading any and all info. I can get lost on this board!!