Bad news for anyone partial to a Red Apple Ice Lost Mary: researchers at Manchester Metropolitan University have been running a world-first study into the long-term effects of vaping since 2023, and the results suggest that vaping could actually be worse for your health than smoking.

Dr Maxime Boidin, the lead researcher from the university’s Institute of Sport, initially believed vaping was a safer alternative to smoking. But after months of testing he believes that vaping could be much more dangerous than he first assumed.

“Smokers go outside, light up, finish, and then have to start another cigarette,” he told The Mirror. “But with vapes, you can just keep hitting it all day without even thinking about it.”

The Manchester Metropolitan study tracked participants aged 18 to 45, all with similar fitness levels, measuring the elasticity of their blood vessels — a key indicator of vascular health. They had to avoid smoking, vaping, exercising, or drinking anything other than water for 12 hours before taking the tests.

Both smokers and vapers showed “flat readings,” suggesting artery damage that could lead to serious heart problems later down the line.

Dr Boidin believes vapes can cause health problems like this due to the inflammation caused by nicotine and the chemicals found in vapes like propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine. “When you’re inhaling a mix of metals and chemicals, you can’t expect nothing to happen,” he said.

The NHS still maintains that vaping is less harmful than smoking, with their view based on a 2022 review which found that in the short to medium term, vaping carries only a fraction of the risks of smoking. But with this new research suggesting that huffing on an Elf Bar all day might be just as bad as lighting up a Malboro Gold, perhaps it’s time to question the popular conception of vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking.