You finally ditched cigarettes and picked up a vape, thinking it was the healthier choice—especially if you’re going nicotine-free. But a new and unsettling study is shaking up that belief. Even without nicotine, vaping may harm your blood vessels and potentially increase the risk of heart disease and circulatory problems.

For years, traditional cigarettes have been known to contain thousands of harmful chemicals, including carcinogens and tar. Compared to that, vaping has often been marketed as a safer alternative because it eliminates many of those toxins. But here’s the catch: the idea that zero-nicotine vaping is harmless? That assumption is now under serious scientific scrutiny.

A recent study took a deep dive into how nicotine-free vapes compare to those with nicotine and even traditional cigarettes. The results are eye-opening and worth a second thought—especially for people who’ve never smoked but decided to try vaping.

Understanding Vaping Basics

Before diving into the findings, let’s break down what vaping is. Vaping devices, commonly called e-cigarettes, are battery-operated tools that heat a special liquid to create a vapor or aerosol. This vapor is then inhaled by the user. Unlike conventional cigarettes that burn tobacco and release smoke filled with dangerous chemicals, vapes don’t produce tar or smoke, making them appear safer at first glance.

What’s in Vape Juice?

Vape liquid, also called e-liquid or vape juice, is usually made from propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin. These ingredients help generate the thick clouds of vapor many users enjoy. They’re generally considered safe for ingestion—but inhaling them is a whole different matter.

Once heated, these substances can turn into toxic byproducts that irritate the respiratory system. Side effects might include:

• Persistent coughing

• Difficulty breathing

• Lung inflammation

Flavors Come with a Cost

The wide variety of flavors is a big reason why vaping appeals to so many—especially younger users. Fruity, minty, candy-like, or dessert-inspired, these flavors often contain additional chemicals that aren’t as sweet as they sound. Some common ones include:

• Diacetyl, which has been linked to a condition called “popcorn lung,” a serious and irreversible lung disease.

• Benzaldehyde, used for flavoring but known to irritate the airways.

• Heavy metals like lead, nickel, and tin, which can leach into the vapor from metal coils inside the devices.

Even without nicotine, the long-term inhalation of these substances may lead to lung damage and inflammation. Dr. Michael Blaha of Johns Hopkins Medicine warns, “You’re exposing yourself to all kinds of chemicals that we don’t yet understand and that are probably not safe.”

A Popular but Risky Trend

Vaping isn’t just popular among former smokers—it’s now caught on with many people who’ve never smoked in the first place, especially teenagers and young adults. According to Johns Hopkins, more than two million middle and high school students in the U.S. used e-cigarettes in 2021, with over 80% choosing flavored versions.

“What’s most alarming is that many people who never would’ve smoked are now vaping,” said Dr. Blaha. “It’s one thing to switch from cigarettes to vaping, but it’s a totally different story when someone starts using nicotine through vaping. That often leads to smoking traditional cigarettes later on.”

The Study That’s Changing Minds

In 2024, researchers set out to investigate if nicotine-free vaping is truly a harmless habit. They compared three groups:

• People using nicotine-free vapes

• People using nicotine-containing vapes

• People smoking traditional cigarettes

The findings? All three groups showed measurable damage to vascular function. In other words, even without nicotine, vaping had harmful effects on blood vessels.

Interestingly, the study revealed that the most significant impact occurred with nicotine vapes, followed by nicotine-free vapes. So while nicotine clearly worsens the problem, it’s not the only thing causing harm.

Dr. Marianna Nabbout, one of the study’s lead researchers, emphasized that “this study highlights how even short-term use of e-cigarettes—whether with or without nicotine—can negatively affect multiple vascular systems in the body.”

Even more concerning, Dr. Nabbout added, “If using an e-cigarette just once can trigger noticeable effects in blood vessels, then long-term use could realistically contribute to vascular disease.”

Time to Rethink What’s “Safe”

If you’ve been under the impression that switching to vaping—especially without nicotine—was the safer move, this research serves as a wake-up call. The assumption that you’re in the clear because there’s no nicotine involved just doesn’t hold up against the latest science.

So, what do you think about vaping now? Are you surprised by the risks associated with even nicotine-free e-cigarettes? Share this story with others who might need a reminder that “smoke-free” doesn’t always mean risk-free.