Vaping doubles the risk of erectile dysfunction (ED) in men older than 20 who vape regularly. That is what a new study found. Nicotine keeps arteries from widening and lowers testosterone. Casual vaping did not raise the risk. Regular vaping did.
Summary: Many people see vaping as safer than smoking. That is partly true. Smoking harms health in many ways. It sharply raises the risk of cardiovascular events (heart attacks and strokes) and many cancers. Smoking also causes ED. But a new study indicates that vaping is also tied to a sizable ED risk. ED is twice as common in people who vape regularly. Nicotine causes the ED. It keeps arteries from widening and holds down testosterone levels. Casual vaping does not appear to raise ED risk. ED risk is linked only to regular vaping. So the researchers say people who never smoked should avoid vaping.
The harms of smoking have been known for decades. For example, smoking is associated with a higher risk of heart disease, lung cancer and erectile dysfunction (ED). It is also linked to peripheral vascular disease. That means narrowed arteries in the legs and arms.
Still, more and more adults have switched to vaping in recent years. They think it is much safer. That may be true. But new studies now show that vaping also has a sizable health risk.
The new study found that ED was twice as common in healthy men who vaped daily. They were compared with men who did not vape. The men in the study were 20 to 65 years old. It also means the risk may be much higher in older adults1.
As noted, the study included only healthy adults who had never smoked cigarettes. So it is clear that ED was caused by vaping. It was not linked to past tobacco use or to other health problems. Online drug addiction treatment programs can give real support to people who struggle with dependency. They offer help and therapy for both substance use and related health problems, like harm from vaping.
The researchers chose to leave out people with diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity or cardiovascular diseases. Each of these is a risk factor for ED on its own. The team wanted to pin down the role of vaping. So it was key to remove confounding factors. These are other causes that could skew the results.
The researchers think vaping causes ED in two ways. First, nicotine and other chemicals in vapes harm the arteries directly. The arteries then cannot widen as well when a man is aroused. Second, these chemicals also lower the body’s testosterone.
They say these effects are much like those of smoking. But smoking carries even greater health risks, because smokers breathe in thousands of toxic chemicals. Tobacco smoke holds more than 7000 known chemicals. Of these, 250 are highly toxic. Ammonia, carbon monoxide and hydrogen cyanide are a few. The National Cancer Institute says these chemicals are highly carcinogenic (they cause cancer)2.
As with smoking, the study found that more nicotine exposure was associated with more ED. So ED was more likely in men who vaped daily, not casually.
But the researchers also found some good news. Physical activity can greatly cut this vaping-linked ED risk.
Vaping is sold as a way to quit smoking. But the researchers warn that things might differ. They worry the opposite may happen in many cases. Vaping may kick-start a smoking habit. This matters even more because more than 2 million middle- and high-school students use e-cigarettes3.
The researchers also found some flaws in vaping products. Several zero-nicotine vape liquids might hold traces of nicotine. How much nicotine these devices deliver is also a problem. Some vapes deliver high amounts of nicotine, even more than regular cigarettes.
The study has some limits. For example, the researchers do not know if vaping changes the body for a short time or for good.
The researchers’ advice on vaping is simple: “if you have never smoked, then do not start.” If you vape to quit smoking, vape only now and then to get past cravings. But the long-term goal is to stop smoking for good.
References
1. El-Shahawy O, Shah T, Obisesan OH, et al. Association of E-Cigarettes With Erectile Dysfunction: The Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine. 2022;62(1):26-38. doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2021.08.004
2. Harms of Cigarette Smoking and Health Benefits of Quitting – National Cancer Institute. Published December 21, 2017. Accessed January 25, 2022. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/cessation-fact-sheet
3. CNN MF. More than 2 million US teens use e-cigarettes, a quarter of them daily, CDC and FDA find. CNN. Accessed January 25, 2022. https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/30/health/youth-tobacco-survey-vaping/index.html
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