Vaping Could Elevate Blood Pressure and Heighten Heart Attack Risk, New Research Suggests
Regular vaping may increase the risk of developing high blood pressure, a key driver of deadly heart attacks and strokes, according to a new scientific study. The findings come as Britons are adopting e-cigarettes in unprecedented numbers, with more than one in ten adults now estimated to regularly use the devices, which were originally introduced to help smokers quit tobacco.
Growing Concerns Over E-Cigarette Safety
Despite NHS chiefs maintaining that vaping represents a safer alternative to traditional smoking, experts have consistently warned that it is not without risks. E-cigarettes contain various harmful toxins, and their long-term health effects remain largely unknown. Furthermore, many users now engage in dual usage, vaping while continuing to smoke conventional cigarettes, which in some cases can double their nicotine intake.
While this combined approach likely compounds the risks of triggering serious coronary incidents such as heart attacks or strokes, researchers at the University of Exeter are particularly concerned that vaping alone could be sufficient to drive up blood pressure, a significant contributing factor for both conditions.
Study Methodology and Participant Analysis
The new research, published in the American Journal of Physiology, examined the relationship between smoking, vaping, and high blood pressure, medically known as hypertension. The investigation tracked 6,262 participants aged 12 to 80 years old from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
Within this group, 1,190 individuals admitted to using a nicotine product within the past five days, whether through traditional smoking, vaping, or a combination of both. Smoking proved the most popular method, with 790 participants recently smoking cigarettes.
Researchers measured participants' blood pressure and heart rate using an upper arm cuff three times to obtain an average reading. Elevated blood pressure was defined as anything equal to or exceeding 120/70mmHg, while hypertension was classified as 140/90mmHg or above.
Key Findings and Statistical Significance
Blood samples were also analysed for total cholesterol and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels. The liver produces CRP in response to inflammation, with elevated levels suggesting repetitive tissue injury, such as that caused by smoking, which drives the risk of deadly heart events.
The results demonstrated that participants who smoked or vaped had significantly higher blood pressure compared to non-smokers and were 46 percent more likely to suffer from hypertension. Those who exclusively vaped showed a 15 percent increased risk of elevated blood pressure and were 5 percent more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure than non-smokers, though researchers noted this finding was not statistically significant due to the limited sample size.
Tobacco use appeared particularly harmful for diastolic blood pressure, which measures the pressure against artery walls while the heart rests between beats.
Expert Analysis and Future Projections
Professor Andrew Agbaje, clinical epidemiologist and study co-author, speculated that this pressure increase may reduce the time available for the heart to rest before the next cycle, 'ultimately compromising the heart, leading to arrhythmia, irregular heartbeats, heart failure and heart attacks.'
Generally, the data revealed that smokers and vapers were younger, had higher CRP and cholesterol levels, and carried more excess fat than non-smokers. Professor Agbaje stated: 'It is highly likely that if the current number of exclusive vape users were tripled, the relationship between vaping and hypertension would be statistically significant.'
He added that, given the positive direction of the relationship, vaping could predict hypertension. 'Taken together, our findings suggest that combined smoking and vaping exposure may confer additional risk, though long-term prospective studies comparing exclusive smokers, vapers and dual users are needed to quantify potential additive effects.'
Cholesterol's Role and Historical Context
Researchers found that cholesterol played a significant role in how nicotine use elevates blood pressure. It has long been hypothesised that smoking enhances free radical damage to lipids, including cholesterol, which in turn raises blood pressure and increases heart disease risk. The new study confirmed these findings, with participants who smoked and vaped exhibiting considerably higher cholesterol levels.
The researchers concluded: 'Interventions to reduce smoking prevalence have been inconsistent, especially since the lowered smoking prevalence seems to have been overtaken by an increase in vaping. Encouraging youths to avoid smoking and vaping initiation may be a safer approach to preventing long-term hypertension and cardiovascular disease.'
Regulatory Responses and Public Health Implications
In July last year, the World Health Organisation labelled evidence surrounding e-cigarettes 'complex,' despite their emergence as the new frontline in Europe's fight against tobacco. The UN agency stated that vapes cannot be recommended as a smoking cessation method due to insufficient knowledge about their harms and benefits.
In June 2025, disposable vapes were banned in a bid to prevent young people from adopting the potentially harmful habit. However, experts have warned this move risks undermining progress toward a smoke-free Britain, with hundreds if not thousands potentially taking up smoking as an alternative.
Smoking has been linked to at least 16 different cancer types, various heart and lung diseases, infertility, and numerous other complications, claiming over 8 million lives annually. Analysis by cancer charities found that nearly 160 smoking-attributed cancer cases were diagnosed daily in 2023.
Future Health Concerns and Policy Recommendations
Doctors have expressed fears about a potential wave of lung disease and cardiovascular conditions in coming decades among those who adopt vaping at a young age. This concern was echoed in the study, with Professor Agbaje noting: 'The European Society of Cardiology has advocated – and we agree – that vaping must be included in the next European Union smoking ban.'
He emphasised: 'It is now established that adolescents who initiate vaping are four times more likely to smoke their first cigarette. We need both societal and governmental interventions to save young people from the dangerous effects of vaping, not just traditional tobacco smoking. Adolescents deserve protection, not addiction.'
