Vaping involves inhaling and exhaling vapour from e-cigarettes. Vaping has become even more popular over the years as its benefits attract several people to its use. However, the increase in fame of the vaping trend has been met with some beliefs and concerns by users and potential users alike.
One of the popular beliefs about vaping is that it leads to weight gain. Many have reported a difference in their weight since they started vaping. Yet, no scientific evidence links the use of vape devices to weight gain. This article aims to explore this subject.
The ABC of Weight Gain
Weight gain describes an increase in body weight of a person over time. It occurs when the consumption of calories (from foods and beverages) exceeds the calories burned through physical activities. The body undergoes some metabolic processes that convert excess calories from foods into fats that the body stores.
There are several factors at play when discussing weight gain. Genetics, physical environment, the lack of physical activities, and frequent consumption of high-fat and high-calorie diets are common contributors to weight gain. In summary, weight gain is based on the relationship between calorie intake and loss. When one’s intake exceeds loss, excess weight is a failsafe.
Will Vaping Make You Gain Weight?
The simple answer to this is no; vaping does not make anyone fat. For vaping to contribute towards weight gain, vape juices should contain enough calories to boost your calorie intake significantly. Thus, to understand if vaping is related to weight gain, let’s consider the components of a vape device.
Nicotine:
Nicotine is a stimulating substance and is the main product that draws people to vaping. Vape devices provide users with less nicotine than cigarettes.
Flavourings:
Flavourings are another reason why people prefer vaping to smoking. E-juices come in different flavours and tastes—fruit or mint, depending on your preference.
Vegetable Glycerine (VG):
VG is found in many food products you consume—yoghurts and baked foods, for example. It is responsible for making the vapour from vape juices. The vape clouds formed when vaping are due to VG; hence, higher levels of VG mean bigger clouds.
Propylene Glycol (PG):
The PG in vape helps to hold all the ingredients of a vape device together, including the flavour and nicotine. It also helps to give the “throat hit” effect as experienced in smoking.
Vape juices may also contain other ingredients like sweeteners or colours for better taste and aesthetics.
Vape Ingredients and Calories
Now, let us discuss the calorie content of vape juices and how this contributes to weight gain. For every gram of PG and VG, you get approximately four calories. The total caloric content of a vape juice pod is between 20-40 calories (only if the vape juice is swallowed, which YOU SHOULD NEVER DO). This is not significant to weight gain as you can easily burn off the extra calories during your daily activities.
Aside from the calorie content of vape juices, we should look into other factors that influence weight gain. Some of these are the vapers’ appetite, psychological factors, and the effects of flavours.
Vaper’s appetite:
As you transition from smoking to vaping, you may realise that you suddenly feel more hungry than usual. This feeling can be attributed to the switch from cigarettes to vape. One of the side effects of cigarettes is a suppressed appetite, where you are less likely to eat much. Most times, this leads to weight loss in some people.
However, when you switch to vape, they get hungry more and may snack in between. This increased food consumption can lead to weight gain if not adequately controlled.
Psychology:
Psychology has a significant influence on the decisions we make. Many people have picked up vaping to help deal with psychological factors like stress. However, such elements can be accompanied by other coping mechanisms like emotional eating and sedentary living. These factors can increase the likelihood of weight gain if not properly managed.
Flavours:
Another factor that can indirectly contribute to weight gain for vapers is flavours. Flavours make vaping more bearable compared to smoking. Hence, people switching from smoking to vaping would have had enough time for their taste buds to recover. Better taste caused by great flavours and better taste buds can significantly improve the eating habits of vapers. Thus, it is possible to gain weight as a result.
Conclusion
The question of whether vaping leads to weight gain is a common one, especially among new vapers. There is no scientific evidence that vaping leads to weight gain as vape juice ingredients do not contain significant amounts of calories to cause weight gain.
However, you should note that several factors, like lifestyle and psychological factors, can contribute to extra weight gain. These factors can be an underlying cause of weight gain for new vapers. Hence, balancing physical activities and lifestyle choices can help maintain a healthy weight while enjoying vaping sessions.
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