Vaping is a popular alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes thanks to offering a more discreet and convenient way to inhale nicotine. However, vapes do have risks associated with use, including nicotine addiction, which may increase with vapes due to not leaving a lingering smell and being usable anywhere, lung irritation, a dry throat, and more. 

One of the less common questions about vapes is whether using one can contribute to weight gain. Based on scientific evidence, we look at the connection between vaping and weight gain. 

Does Vaping Make You Gain Weight?

While some health problems associated with vaping, likelung issues, are well documented, whether or not vaping makes you gain weight isn’t as easy to look into as it will vary from person to person. Here, we look at vaping and nicotine and how they can affect appetite and potentially lead to weight gain. 

Nicotine and Its Effects on Appetite

One study into theeffects of nicotine on the central nervous system and sleep quality highlights nicotine as “a stimulant affecting the heart and CNS. Some claim that it boosts alertness, vigilance, and creativity.

Due to its potential impact on productivity, nicotine's use and distribution are regulated, with recent efforts focusing on tighter controls, especially for minors. Nicotine can lead to strong physical and psychological addiction, which is often lifelong.” 

While in the moment, you may feel like you are relieving stress. The ultimate addiction to nicotine can be a lot more stressful. Historically, nicotine has been known to reduce appetite in smokers. The chemical does this by activating specific receptors in the brain that fool your body into thinking you are satiated when you’re not. 

Tobacco products have even been utilized for weight control in certain eating disorders. Nicotine also increases metabolism by stimulating the sympathetic nerve system, raising heart rate, increasing heat, and helping to break down food quicker. With all this being said, vaping can still lead to weight gain despite nicotine’s appetite-suppressing qualities. 

Potential Reasons Vaping Could Lead to Weight Gain

If you start vaping or increase the amount you vape and then decide to cut back or quit, this may lead to an increase in hunger or cravings. The appetite-suppressing properties of nicotine will suddenly reduce when you cut back. Instead of reaching for your vape, you may reach for a snack to fill the time. Another factor in certain vapes is the intense flavorings used to mimic delicious sweet treats. 

Some studies, specifically looking at younger vapers, suggest that sweet or dessert-like vape flavors may trigger cravings for high-calorie foods, includingone study that found the sweetness provided by vapes “does not appear to contribute to short- and long-term compensatory energy intake,” which could leave to a lack of satisfaction and somebody reaching for a sweet treat after vaping. However,other studies claim vapers use the sweet taste to replace a sweet treat and help with weight loss. 

The aforementioned study into the effects of nicotine on the central nervous system and sleep quality concluded that “consuming nicotine close to bedtime can lead to heightened alertness and delayed sleep onset due to its stimulant properties.” If you end up using nicotine close to bedtime, then your sleep will suffer. Feeling hungry during the day can lead to more snacking and weight gain. 

Psychological and Behavioral Factors

Nicotine addiction can lead to a reliance on a nicotine product to combat any stressful or emotional situations that may arise. When something happens that causes stress or a heightened emotional reaction (positive or negative), people addicted to nicotine reach for a cigarette, pouch, or vape. 

These same triggers are associated withemotional eating, a result of depression, anxiety, and stress. People who were once reliant upon nicotine products at these times may be more likely to replace them with bad eating habits. 

If you’re making the switch from traditional cigarettes to an electronic vape, you may be cutting down on the amount of nicotine you are taking into the body, too. Dropping the amount of nicotine you are consuming can be positive in many ways but may lead to compensatory behaviors like eating more. 

Scientific Studies on Vaping and Weight Gain

Due to nicotine and its ambiguous relationship to weight gain and weight loss, scientists are studying the subject in more detail to understand it better. A study into e-cigarettes, smoking cessation, and weight change found that “e-cigarettes seemed to have minimal effects on mitigating the weight gain observed in individuals who smoke and subsequently quit at 3 months,” which suggests that the use of vapes to combat weight gain might not be viable. 

Onereview that poured over 4965 references to obesity and e-cigarettes found “e-cigarettes have small and variable causal effects on weight gain associated with smoking cessation” and that there was a “high prevalence of e-cigarette was reported in the majority of the cross-sectional studies conducted among respondents who are obese or overweight,” which is evidence to say that vaping and other poor lifestyle habits are associated. 

In contradiction to the evidence to suggest vaping does not help with weight loss, another study revealed “significant use of e-cigarettes among high school students, driven by taste preferences, weight management, and perceived harm reduction. Particularly among girls facing body image pressures, vaping serves as a weight control method.” 

As you can see, the evidence from scientific studies into vaping and weight gain remains mixed. 

What About Vape Products with No Nicotine?

Nicotine-free vapes are predominantly used by people who want to lower their nicotine intake but still want the feeling of vaping to help with cutting back.

Anotherstudy found that “adolescent vapers most commonly used e-cigarettes without nicotine, few of these transitioned into nicotine vaping, and a majority became non-users.” 

There are few scientific studies into the effects of vaping without nicotine on appetite and weight. However, the sweet flavorings used in these vapes may trigger some people to start snacking.

People who use vapes without nicotine will still be susceptible to habit forming and may use food as a replacement if they stop. 

Health Implications of Weight Gain Due to Vaping

There are main health implications surrounding weight gain, including a risk of obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Overweight people may suffer from higher blood pressure, an increase in cholesterol levels, inflammation, and are putting extra strain on the heart. 

There is also a double health risk if you combine vaping with poor dietary habits. If you plan on increasing exercise, this is going to be more difficult if you vape, as you’ll find that vaping can leave you feeling out of breath quicker. Nicotine combined with a poor diet can increase blood pressure even more acutely, narrow blood vessels, and evencontribute to blood clots. 

People who want to cut back on vaping or smoking should consider keeping a quitting diary to write in whenever the cravings get too much. A quitting diary is also one healthy substitution for replacing nicotine addiction with emotional eating. 

Conclusion: Can Vaping Make You Gain Weight?

While vaping doesn’t directly contribute to weight gain, there are some factors associated with vaping that might. Vapers who cut back may find their appetite increasing very quickly, emotional eating may also be an issue during the quitting process, and the sweet flavors in some vapes have been shown to trigger the appetite for a sweet treat in some people. 

However, there is no definitive evidence to suggest that vaping and weight gain are associated, as it is a complex relationship that varies between individuals. If you are making the switch from cigarettes to vaping, try keeping a diary or finding other healthy habits to combat a potential increase in hunger pangs from lowering your nicotine intake.