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Does Vaping Improve or Hinder Athletic Performance?
In the past, there were athletes endorsing smoking brands, but modern athletes are more cautious about what they put in their bodies. Smoking is known to have harmful effects on the body, so it’s not something a serious athlete would want to do. But what about vaping? Does it improve or hinder athletic performance?
Effects of Smoking and Exercise
Smoking reduces an individual’s ability to work out and lowers their overall fitness level. It hinders athletic performance in several ways:
Blood: Nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarettes narrow arteries, making it hard for blood to move quickly enough through the body, reducing oxygen supply.
Heart: Smoking increases resting heart rate, which can add extra load to the heart and lead to heart disease, cardiac arrest, and death in extreme cases.
Lungs: Cigarette tar coats the inside of the lungs, narrows airways, decreases lung capacity, and produces phlegm that congests the throat and lungs. Reduced lung capacity means less oxygen can be taken in during exercise.
Effects of Vaping and Exercise
Vaping is relatively new, and long-term studies on the effects of vaping on exercise are yet to be conducted. If you want to make sure that your athletic endurance isn’t hindered in any way, the best advice is not to smoke or vape. However, if you’re already a vaper and want to continue while exercising, then there are some positive signs:
Blood: Some vape juices such as Strawberry Cereal Donut Milk by The One don’t contain carbon monoxide, one of the key factors responsible for contracting the arteries. A recent study has shown that smokers who switch from smoking to vaping exhibited improved blood flow after just one month. This suggests that extra oxygen can reach the brain, muscles, and heart during exercise.
Heart: Like cigarettes, some vape juices contain nicotine, but with vaping, it’s up to the user to regulate how much nicotine they consume.
Lungs: Since vaping doesn’t create any tar, the lungs don’t accumulate the harmful build-up associated with smoking.
Vaping vs. Smoking – The Better Choice
If we compare both practices solely on their potential impact on athletic performance, then vaping seems to be the better choice. However, abandoning the idea of taking any smoke into your system altogether should be the ultimate goal. With vaping still being in its early days, there remain uncertainties around its long-term effects, and quitting altogether remains the most reliable option.
Vaping and Long-Term Health Risks
Although vaping may have some benefits over smoking when it comes to athletic performance, concerns exist regarding potential health risks from long-term use. Here are a few of the main concerns:
Chemicals: While vaping juices are devoid of tar, they still contain chemicals like diacetyl that can cause lung damage.
Addiction: As with smoking, you can quickly become addicted to vaping because of nicotine.
Youth Usage: There is a growing concern about young people using e-cigarettes recreationally, leading to nicotine addiction and other health problems.
Table on Smoking and Vaping Effects on Athletic Performance
Smoking | Vaping
—|—
Narrows arteries, decreasing blood flow and oxygen supply | Some vape juices like Strawberry Cereal Donut Milk by The One don’t contain carbon monoxide, increasing blood flow and oxygen supply
Increases resting heart rate, adding extra load on the heart | Some vape juices contain nicotine, similar to cigarettes, but up to the user to determine nicotine intake
Decreases lung capacity, reducing oxygen intake | Vaping doesn’t create any tar build-up in the lungs, allowing for healthier lung function
Long-term use associated with lung cancer, stroke, and heart disease | Concerns exist around long-term use related to addiction, lung damage from chemicals like diacetyl, and youth recreational usage leading to addiction and health problems
Conclusion
Athletes are increasingly concerned about what they put in their bodies, and smoking is no longer considered acceptable. At present, the evidence suggests that vaping has fewer negative impacts on athletic performance compared to smoking. Vaping still carries known and unknown long-term risks, though. One thing is true: keeping your body healthy and ready requires prioritizing good nutrition, recovery, hydration, and rest. Vaping or smoking cannot replace these fundamental building blocks of physical success.