12h • Stroke Prevention Tips
Is vaping safer than smoking?
“I vape, but I don’t smoke.” I hear this quite often.
Vaping and smoking are not the same. Vaping is less harmful than smoking, but that does not mean it is harmless.
When you smoke a cigarette, tobacco burns and releases 7000 of chemicals. Many of these chemicals damage blood vessels, make the blood more likely to clot and contribute to the build-up of fatty plaques in the arteries a process called atherosclerosis. These effects increase the risk of stroke.
Vapes do not burn tobacco. As a result, people who vape are generally exposed to fewer harmful chemicals, and at lower levels, than people who smoke. For someone who smokes, switching completely to vaping can therefore reduce harm (1).
But vaping is not risk-free.
Vapes contain a base liquid (propylene glycol, vegetable glycerine), flavourings, and usually nicotine, but not the tar and carbon monoxide produced by burning tobacco. Nicotine is addictive and can temporarily increase heart rate and blood pressure. Vaping can affect the lining of blood vessels, increase inflammation, activate platelets and temporarily make arteries stiffer. These changes could contribute to cardiovascular disease, but we do not yet fully understand the long-term effects of vaping on the heart and blood vessels (2).
Why does this matter for stroke prevention?
High blood pressure, damaged arteries and blood clots can all play a part in causing a stroke.
However, the evidence available today does not establish that vaping directly causes stroke. Research into the relationship between vaping and stroke is still developing, and its findings have not always been consistent. A 2025 systematic review and met-analysis found a clearer association between vaping and heart attack than between vaping and stroke. The study found a small increase in reported strokes among e-cigarette users, but the evidence was not strong enough to confirm a real difference. Some groups, including former smokers who currently vaped, reported more strokes. However, their previous smoking may partly explain this finding. Most of the research was observational, meaning it could identify connections but could not prove that vaping caused the events. Longer-term studies are still needed (3).
What about smoking and vaping together?
Using both cigarettes and e-cigarettes is concerning because it may increase health risks without providing the full benefits of quitting smoking. If you are using a vape to help you quit, the important step is to switch completely away from cigarettes.
In a survey of 161,529 adults aged 18–44, people who both smoked and vaped were almost twice as likely to report having had a stroke as those who smoked only, and nearly three times as likely as people who used neither product. However, this was a survey based on self-reported information. It showed a connection but could not prove that using both products caused the strokes (4).
The key message is simple
🚭 If you smoke: stopping smoking is the best option for your health. If you use a vape to help you quit, aim to switch completely away from cigarettes.
💨 If you don’t smoke: there is no health benefit in starting to vape.
👏 If vaping helped you leave cigarettes behind: that is a major step. Focus first on staying smoke-free. When you feel confident that stopping vaping will not lead you back to cigarettes, you can consider gradually reducing and stopping vaping too.
Referrences:
1.Padi AR, Patel R, Dumpala M, Anjum A, Ahmed I, Dronadula VSKR, Saeed ZB, Mirza MSS, Jonnala RR. Impact of E-cigarette Use on Cardiovascular Risk Markers in Elderly Former Smokers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Cureus. 2025 Jul 10;17(7):e87666.
2.Chaumont M, de Becker B, Zaher W, Culié A, Deprez G, Mélot C, Reyé F, Van Antwerpen P, Delporte C, Debbas N, Boudjeltia KZ, van de Borne P. Differential Effects of E-Cigarette on Microvascular Endothelial Function, Arterial Stiffness and Oxidative Stress: A Randomized Crossover Trial. Sci Rep. 2018 Jul 10;8(1):10378.
3.Gupta, R., Singh, P.K., Rout, S. et al. Are electronic cigarettes associated with the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke? A systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health 26, 199 (2026).
4.Parekh T, Pemmasani S, Desai R. Risk of Stroke With E-Cigarette and Combustible Cigarette Use in Young Adults. Am J Prev Med. 2020 Mar;58(3):446-452.
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Is vaping safer than smoking?
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