UK study finds vapers and smokers aged 18 to 30 face the same 15% fitness drop

New research from the U.K. points to vaping as a potential drag on young adults' fitness on par with smoking.

In the study, healthy adults ages 18 to 30 who used either cigarettes or vapes had similarly poorer exercise capacity, coming in about 15% below people who had used neither.

What's happening?

The study was led by Manchester Metropolitan University researchers and published Tuesday in the peer-reviewed journal ERJ Open Research. 

The research connected both smoking and vaping with comparable drops in fitness among young adults. It included 75 healthy and active participants ages 18 to 30. One-third had never smoked or vaped, one-third smoked but had never vaped, and one-third had been vaping for about three years without ever smoking. 

All of them had normal lung function at rest and similar lifestyles, including comparable physical activity, alcohol use, and caffeine intake.

But when researchers put participants through a progressively harder cycling test while monitoring heart rate, breathing, and blood lactate levels, things changed.

Compared with those who had never smoked or vaped, both the smoking and vaping groups showed lower oxygen uptake and fitness levels and reported more breathlessness and leg discomfort during exercise.

Dr. Azmy Faisal, senior lecturer in cardiorespiratory physiology in Manchester Metropolitan University's Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences, summarized these findings to AOL, saying, "In active, healthy young adults with normal lungs, both vapes and tobacco smoking led to worsened exercise capacity, shortness of breath, and intense leg fatigue."

Why does it matter?

The study focused on people who were otherwise healthy and had normal resting lung function, yet they still performed worse as exercise intensity increased.

Reduced exercise capacity and faster muscle fatigue can affect day-to-day quality of life, from climbing stairs and commuting by bike to keeping up with a workout routine that supports heart and lung health.

The vaping industry has also often been associated with products marketed in ways that appeal to younger users, even as evidence of negative health outcomes keeps growing. 

This study adds to concerns that vaping is not a harmless alternative to cigarettes, especially for people in their teens and 20s, whose habits now could shape their future health.

There is also an environmental cost. Disposable vapes contribute to a growing stream of single-use plastics, toxic e-waste, and improperly discarded lithium batteries, creating a public health problem that extends beyond nicotine exposure.

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