Introduction
It's no surprise that there's often debate about vaping, but you may not have thought about vaping and its potential effect on your weight. With a rising interest in this query, we've created this in-depth article to address e-cigarettes, e-liquids, smoking, and tobacco, with insight into their components such as nicotine to highlight if vaping increases or decreases your weight in any way.
After reading this article, you will have a much greater understanding on the potential calories found within electronic cigarettes, including disposable vapes, and how the ingredients found within vape juice might affect your appetite, metabolism, and weight overall.
Summary: Vaping does not directly affect your weight, although nicotine and the habit of vaping/smoking can suppress your appetite leading to weight loss. Vape juice does contain calories, but they are considered negligible. If you quit smoking without Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), you may gain weight as you remove appetite suppression. Do not start vaping/smoking for the sole purpose of weight control, or if you are under the legal age.
Do vapes have calories?
The technical answer is yes, vape e-liquids have calories but only a tiny amount which is considered negligible. Vape juice is mostly made up of Propylene Glycol (PG) and Vegetable Glycerin (VG), with added flavourings and nicotine in the majority. All of these ingredients listed contain a very small amount of calories which equals approximately four calories per gram. According to Columbia University [1], one millimeter of PG equals around four calories, which would make a 10ml e-liquid bottle around forty calories, or a disposable vape approximately eight calories.
Can you absorb calories from vaping?
Although we've highlighted that e-liquids do contain negligible calories, these can't be absorbed by inhaling vapour from a vape kit. You cannot inhale calories without physically consuming food or drink, as this energy is "digested and absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract to provide the body" [2].
If you're worried about directly gaining any weight from vaping, current science highlights that it is not possible as calories have to be consumed through digestion to be absorbed. Below we look a little further into vaping and in connection to weight, and explain things you should note in more depth.
Impact of vaping on your weight
Although you can't absorb calories through vaping, there are still indirect ways in which electronic cigarettes and vape juice can impact your weight. For the most part, any weight-related impact of vaping is down to nicotine. Below we look into the connection between nicotine and its possible impact on your health.
Does vaping make you lose weight?
It's clear that nicotine used within vape juice can help you lose weight by depressing your appetite, but does vaping directly help aid weight loss? In addition to nicotine, the direct habit of vaping has been questioned if it can reduce food cravings as you routinely place a vape to your mouth throughout the day which could trick your brain into believing you're eating.
Although questioned and debated across online forums, there is currently no scientific evidence to highlight whether the habitual use of an electronic cigarette has any direct impact on food cravings and impact on weight loss. Either way, we do not advise replacing food with vaping as a substitute, and only use either in moderation alongside a healthy balanced diet.
Does nicotine help you lose weight?
Although nicotine does not directly make you lose weight, it has been identified as an appetite suppressant. If you consume nicotine you may feel less hungry which in turn could help you lose weight over time. Research carried out in 2021 highlighted that nicotine does in fact reduce appetite and food intake and reduces body weight. [3]
Although researchers are still unclear about the effects that nicotine may have on weight, they have highlighted that this could be linked to an altered appetite regulation, combined with an increase in energy burning during rest and physical activity.
Regardless of how nicotine is consumed, an article released through the National Library of Medicine (NIH) [3] highlights that "Nicotine suppresses appetite and increases metabolism, and also serves as a behavioral alternative to eating or a distraction from hunger or food craving".
Although nicotine can be consumed via smoking cigarettes or vaping, it's important to highlight that vaping has been stated as 95% less harmful than cigarettes by Public Health England (PHE) [4]. We don't advise people to take up vaping for the sole purpose of losing weight, however, if you are currently smoking cigarettes, vaping would be a healthier choice according to the facts available.
Taking nicotine for weight loss
Although we have addressed that nicotine can suppress your appetite while also increasing your metabolism, we must stress that we do not advise vaping or using any other nicotine products for the sole purpose of losing weight. Vape products containing nicotine should only be used by existing vapers or those looking to quit smoking cigarettes, and those over the age of eighteen.
If you are currently smoking and looking to quit with vaping, please be sure to reach out to us where a member of our support team will be on hand to ensure you have the most successful chance of quitting and remaining smoke-free.
Is nicotine harmful?
As you may already be aware, nicotine is an addictive substance that can be found in both cigarettes, e-liquids and disposable vapes. However, the majority of harm from smoking comes from the thousands of other chemicals that tobacco smoke creates when lit, with many being toxic. The National Health Service (NHS) also highlights that "e-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke." [5]
Do you put on weight when quitting smoking?
It's commonly understood that people may gain weight after quitting smoking. This is not fully understood to this day, however, there are a few explanations that could lead to weight gain when stopping the habit. For the most part, these are directly linked to nicotine which could explain why many who switch to vaping do not experience the same noticeable weight gain.
Why do you gain weight when quitting smoking?
Many who quit smoking cigarettes notice increased hunger as a withdrawal symptom. In addition, the suppressed appetite created by nicotine will be removed.
NHS inform points out that "some people do put on weight after they stop [smoking]. This is down to nicotine suppressing your body's natural appetite and making it burn calories faster". [6].
It is also noted that the habitual action of smoking is often replaced with eating as the mind looks to repeat the action. This is why vaping can offer a great smoke-free alternative whilst replacing this action.
Can vaping make you fat?
Although there is a wide range of sweet and dessert-flavoured e-liquids, there are minimal calories actually found within vape juice which are considered negligible. Therefore vaping does not directly cause reason to gain weight. If you begin vaping lower nicotine strengths, you may notice your appetite could increase due to nicotine being an appetite suppressant. As long as you keep a healthy diet when cutting down on nicotine-strength e-liquid you shouldn't negatively impact your weight.
Conclusion
Through all research collection and review, vaping does not directly affect your weight. If using electronic cigarettes were to impact your weight in any way, it would most likely help with weight loss due to nicotine found within vape juice known as an appetite suppressor. However, we do not advise using nicotine products as a weight loss aid. You should only vape if you are of the legal age and want to replace cigarettes with a healthier alternative to smoking, as pointed out by Public Health England (PHE).
There is no scientific evidence to highlight vaping having any direct impact on weight. Although it's clear that e-liquids do in fact contain calories, these are addressed as negligible and non-consumable via inhaling vapour.
Overall there is no need to worry about vaping in relation to your weight. The evidence included in this article highlights that the use of e-cigarettes and vape juice, including disposables, will not impact your weight. When combined with a balanced and healthy diet, vaping is still considered to be 95% safer than smoking [4].
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
A 10ml bottle of e-liquid contains approximately forty calories with 1ml of PG containing four calories. This would differ slightly depending on the ingredients used within the e-liquid.
Vaping does not directly cause any reason to gain weight. Calories found in vape juice cannot be consumed via inhalation. If anything, nicotine is known to suppress appetite so you would probably notice the opposite reaction when vaping.
Vaping does not directly burn any calories, as there is minimal exertion involved, which means you cannot directly lose weight by vaping an e-cigarette.
Nicotine found within e-liquids can suppress your appetite. Although vaping can help reduce food cravings, it cannot directly stop food cravings and should not be solely relied upon as an aid to suppress your appetite.
Disposable vapes such as Elf Bar, Lost Mary, and SKE contain 2ml of e-liquid which equates to approximately eight calories. The actual number could differ slightly depending on the ingredients used such as flavorings and nicotine.
Neither; Vaping does not directly impact your weight as you cannot consume calories contained within e-liquids or disposable vapes. Although nicotine may suppress your appetite, it is not directly related to making you lose weight.
The short answer is no. Although vape juice contains calories, these are negligible and cannot be consumed. For this reason, weight gain so cannot be linked as a cause for increased weight, including belly fat.
Disclaimer: The content on www.royalflushvape.co.uk offers general insights about vaping and vape related products. Please be aware that this information is not meant to be a substitute for medical advice and should only be relied upon when explicitly referenced. We make no guarantees regarding the accuracy, reliability, or health-related advantages of the content displayed across all pages of our website, including blog posts, product pages and social media content.
