Are E-Cigarettes Safe for Your Heart and Lungs?
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E-cigarettes have become a popular alternative to smoking, especially among young adults. Marketed as a “safer” option than traditional cigarettes, many people switch to vaping hoping to avoid the health risks of smoking. But are e-cigarettes really safe—especially for your heart and lungs?
A new large-scale study helps answer that question, and the results may surprise you.
What Did the Researchers Look At?
Researchers from Johns Hopkins and other institutions followed nearly 250,000 adults in the U.S. over about four years. They wanted to see if people who used e-cigarettes were more likely to develop certain health conditions, including:
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Chronic lung disease (COPD)
- Heart failure
- Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) – this includes heart attacks and strokes
They compared people who didn’t use any tobacco with those who used only e-cigarettes, only traditional cigarettes, or both (called "dual use").
What Did They Find?
The results were mixed but important:
1. E-cigarettes were linked to lung disease
People who used e-cigarettes were twice as likely to develop COPD, a serious lung condition. That means e-cigarettes are not harmless to your lungs—even though they don’t contain tobacco smoke.
2. Heart and diabetes risks were unclear
E-cigarettes were not clearly linked to high blood pressure, heart failure, diabetes, or major heart events (like heart attacks). However, in people aged 30–70, e-cigarettes were linked to a higher risk of developing high blood pressure.
3. Traditional smoking is still much worse
People who smoked regular cigarettes—or both cigarettes and e-cigarettes—had much higher risks across the board: more diabetes, more heart problems, more lung disease. Dual users were especially at risk of heart attacks and strokes.
What Does This Mean for You?
If you're trying to quit smoking, switching completely to e-cigarettes may be less harmful than continuing to smoke. But it’s not risk-free—especially when it comes to your lungs and blood pressure.
Dual use is the worst option. Using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes increases your health risks and doesn't seem to offer any safety benefit.
And if you don’t use any tobacco at all, don’t start. Vaping still carries risks that can affect your long-term health.
What Should Policymakers Do?
The researchers say these findings should guide public health policy. While e-cigarettes may help some people quit smoking, they still pose real risks—especially if people end up using both products.
Health regulators may consider rules that discourage dual use and help people quit entirely, not just switch from one harmful product to another.
Final Thoughts
E-cigarettes aren’t as dangerous as smoking, but they’re not harmless either. They may damage your lungs and possibly raise your blood pressure—especially as you get older.
If you’re thinking about vaping to quit smoking, talk to your doctor. There may be better ways to quit that protect your heart and lungs without trading one risk for another.