Does Nicotine-Free Vaping Affect Your Blood Vessels? What Science Tells Us

Thinking about switching from smoking to vaping? Or perhaps you’re considering nicotine-free vaping as a supposedly ‘safer’ option? Let’s look at what the research actually tells us about how vaping without nicotine affects your blood vessels.

What UK Health Experts Say

The NHS is crystal clear: vaping is “far less harmful than cigarettes” and poses just “a small fraction of the risk of smoking cigarettes” [1]. While not entirely risk-free, e-cigarettes don’t produce tar or carbon monoxide—two of the most harmful components in tobacco smoke. A 2022 review by UK experts confirmed that vaping poses significantly lower risks than smoking [2].

The Immediate Effects on Blood Vessels

Here’s where things get interesting. Some studies have found that even nicotine-free vaping may temporarily affect blood vessels:

University of Pennsylvania researchers discovered that a single session of nicotine-free vaping temporarily reduced the ability of blood vessels to dilate properly [3]. In this study, participants showed decreased blood flow in their femoral artery (the main artery delivering blood to the legs) after vaping without nicotine.

A presentation at the Radiological Society of North America also suggested that vaping without nicotine might temporarily decrease oxygen levels in the blood [4].

But Wait, There’s More to the Story

Before you panic, consider these important counterpoints:

Researchers acknowledge these vascular changes appear to be temporary, and they’re not suggesting “a single episode of vaping translates immediately into atherosclerosis” (hardening of the arteries) [3].

A Sheffield Hallam University study involving 248 smokers found that those who switched to vaping (including nicotine-free options) experienced improved blood vessel health within months [5]. The benefits continued both medium-term (three months) and longer-term (six months).

Another review found that nicotine-free vaping doesn’t impair vasodilation, increase blood pressure or heart rate, or increase arterial stiffness at rest—unlike vaping with nicotine [6].

The Bigger Picture

The mechanism behind these temporary blood vessel changes isn’t fully understood, but it seems to involve a general response to airway irritation rather than damage from specific toxic compounds [7].

For smokers, the most important context is comparison: cigarette smoking causes over 480,000 deaths annually in the US alone [8]. The CDC confirms that e-cigarette vapor contains “fewer harmful chemicals than the deadly mix of 7,000 chemicals in smoke from cigarettes” [9].

What This Means For You

If you’re a smoker looking to quit: Switching to vaping (even nicotine-free) appears to be significantly better for your blood vessel health than continuing to smoke. A University of Dundee study found that within just one month of switching from tobacco to e-cigarettes, blood vessel health measurements improved [10].

If you don’t smoke or vape: Starting vaping (even without nicotine) would introduce unnecessary risks, however small. The NHS recommends that non-smokers should not start vaping [1].

Bottom Line

While nicotine-free vaping may cause some temporary changes to blood vessel function, it appears significantly less harmful than smoking. For smokers, it offers a viable harm reduction approach. For everyone else, the best option for vascular health remains avoiding both smoking and vaping altogether.

Sources:

[1] NHS UK: Using e-cigarettes to stop smoking – https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/quit-smoking/using-e-cigarettes-to-stop-smoking/ 

[2] NHS UK: Vaping myths and facts – https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking/ready-to-quit-smoking/vaping-to-quit-smoking/vaping-myths-and-the-facts/ 

3] University of Pennsylvania study – https://www.pennmedicine.org/news/news-releases/2019/august/nicotine-free-e-cigarettes-can-damage-blood-vessels 

[4] Radiological Society of North America study on vaping and vascular health

[5] Sheffield Hallam University study – https://heartresearch.org.uk/new-study-finds-vaping-benefits-blood-vessel-health-as-much-as-other-nicotine-replacements/ 

[6] PMC review on vaping vs smoking – https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7348661/ 

[7] NIH-funded study on vaping effects – https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/nih-funded-studies-show-damaging-effects-vaping-smoking-blood-vessels 

[8] CDC smoking mortality statistics

[9] CDC on e-cigarette aerosol – https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/e-cigarettes/health-effects.html 

[10] British Heart Foundation study – https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/e-cigarettes