How vaping affects cardio fitness

Cardio depends on how efficiently the body delivers oxygen and responds to physical stress. Vaping affects both. Here is the breakdown.

The 2024 ERS study

The most recent and most-cited study on vaping and exercise is a 2024 European Respiratory Society study led by Dr Azmy Faisal. The study compared three groups of young men in their twenties: never smokers and never vapers, men who had been vaping for at least 2 years, and men who had been smoking for at least 2 years. All had normal lung function on standard tests. The study found that vapers and smokers performed similarly poorly in exercise tests compared to never-users. Specifically: lower peak exercise capacity, more intense leg fatigue at submaximal intensity, higher blood lactate (a sign of muscle fatigue) before reaching maximum, and signs of impaired blood vessel function. Lead researcher Dr Faisal noted there were key differences in how vapers' bodies coped with exercise.

How nicotine drives the effect

Nicotine is a stimulant. It binds to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and triggers a release of adrenaline and noradrenaline. The cardiovascular effects: resting heart rate rises by 7-15 beats per minute, systolic blood pressure rises by 5-10 mmHg, and the sympathetic nervous system enters a more activated state. During exercise the cardiovascular system already works at or near maximum capacity. Adding nicotine pushes heart rate higher than the equivalent unaffected exercise level, meaning your heart hits its maximum sooner and your cardiovascular reserve is reduced. The 2024 ERS study reported lower chronotropic response (the heart's ability to increase rate in response to demand) in vapers.

Aerosol and oxygen utilisation

The 2024 ERS study also found impaired skeletal muscle oxygen utilisation in vapers. The exact mechanism is still being studied but the leading hypothesis involves a combination of nicotine effects on blood vessels (vasoconstriction reducing flow), aerosol particle effects on the alveolar gas exchange membrane in the lungs, and possible direct effects of inhaled propylene glycol and vegetable glycerine on lung tissue. Practically, the result is that the same volume of inhaled oxygen produces less usable energy at the muscle level. Vapers report feeling more out of breath and more fatigued at exercise levels they used to handle comfortably.

Vaping vs smoking for cardio

Vaping is generally less harmful for cardio than smoking because it does not deliver carbon monoxide (which binds to haemoglobin and blocks oxygen transport for hours after smoking) and does not deliver tar (which damages lung tissue and reduces gas exchange). Public Health England has consistently estimated vaping at around 95% less harmful than smoking. However "less harmful than smoking" does not mean "good for cardio". The 2024 ERS study found similar exercise impairment in young vapers and young smokers. The likely explanation is that for young people without long-term smoking damage, the acute nicotine effects dominate rather than the cumulative cigarette-only damage. Long-term smokers have additional cumulative damage that long-term vapers do not.

Recovery after quitting

Recovery is faster than for smoking cessation because there is no carbon monoxide and no tar to clear. Resting heart rate typically begins to drop within the first week as the body clears the last of the nicotine. Easier breathing usually within 2-4 weeks. Full cardiovascular recovery (peak exercise capacity, blood vessel function, oxygen utilisation) over several months. Reducing rather than quitting also helps measurably: cutting nicotine strength from 20 mg to 10 mg or below typically improves cardio measurably within weeks. The improvement curve is consistent across age groups but younger vapers tend to recover faster.

Can you still build cardio while vaping

Yes. Many UK vapers train consistently and make genuine progress: running 5Ks, completing half marathons, cycling long distances are all achievable while vaping. The research does not suggest vaping cancels out training adaptations. What it does suggest is that your performance ceiling is slightly lower than if you did not vape, and the improvement rate may be slightly slower. Vapers can still progress; they just progress to a lower peak. For competitive athletes the small performance margin may matter; for general fitness it is much less significant.

0 mg nicotine-free vaping

Yes, 0 mg vaping affects cardio but to a lesser degree than nicotine vaping. Aerosol particles and flavouring chemicals still irritate airways even without nicotine, which can mildly reduce oxygen exchange during high-intensity exercise. The cardiovascular effects of 0 mg vaping are much smaller because the heart-rate and blood pressure effects of nicotine are absent. For athletes vaping 0 mg as a habit-only quit step, the impact on cardio is minimal. The single biggest cardio-friendly step is cutting nicotine; flavour-only vaping sits much closer to neutral than 20 mg nic salt vaping.

Practical advice

Five practical steps. 1. Avoid vaping in the 60-90 minutes before exercise. The acute nicotine spike hits exactly when you want baseline cardiovascular conditions. 2. Hydrate well. Vaping causes dry mouth and dehydration, both of which hurt cardio performance. 3. Consider stepping down nicotine strength. 10 mg vs 20 mg makes a measurable difference in cardio. 4. Switch to nicotine pouches for training days. Pouches deliver nicotine without lung impact and the airway-irritation effect of vaping aerosol is removed. 5. Track your progress. If you notice your easy run pace slowing or your max heart rate rising at the same effort, vaping may be a contributing factor.

For a lung-impact-free nicotine alternative on training days our nicotine pouch range covers options that deliver nicotine without aerosol or airway irritation.

For more on vaping, exercise and physical wellbeing head over to our full vaping guides hub where every health and fitness question is covered.