Are E-Cigarettes Bad for Your Heart?

What Are E-Cigarettes?

Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, are battery-powered devices that allow the user to inhale vapors from liquid nicotine. They’re seen as an alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. However, while they don’t contain tar and other carcinogens, using e-cigarettes (what’s known as “vaping”) does come with health risks. In particular, people will ask, “Are electronic cigarettes bad for your heart?”. The answer is, “Yes.” Nicotine can have a negative impact on heart health.

What Are Nicotine’s Effects on the Heart?

While e-cigarettes are an alternative to cigarettes, they’re not a healthy alternative. Users need to ask questions about nicotine’s effects on their heart. For example, does nicotine constrict blood vessels? It does, which makes the heart work harder. And, does nicotine affect the heart? Yes, your heart working too hard for too long can damage it and also the blood vessels. So, vaping is definitely not a safe activity.

Can E-Cigarettes Cause Heart Disease?

While they have only become popular relatively recently, the connection between e-cigarettes and heart disease, and between e-cigarettes and blood pressure issues, is already clear. Not only does the narrowing of blood vessels raise blood pressure but the nicotine ingested through vaping also increases the risk of cholesterol plaques forming on the artery walls, leading to atherosclerosis.

So, there’s no question that electronic cigarettes are bad for your heart. Consequently, if you use e-cigarettes, your doctor will encourage you to quit and can help you find the resources you need to eliminate the habit.

Check out 5 Tips to Quit Smoking to learn other ways you can support your heart health by quitting the use of nicotine products.