Volgograd endocrinologist warned about the hidden danger of vapes

The myth of the “harmlessness” of vapes is a misconception that experts consider especially dangerous. Tobacco smoke such devices really do not give, but when they work there is an aerosol. It can detect nicotine, tiny particles, compounds formed when heated propylene glycol and glycerol, aromatic additives, as well as metals. Such components damage the body, and the growing body of a teenager is especially vulnerable.

For minors and young people, vaping turns into a double threat. First, there is a dependence on nicotine. Secondly, metabolic processes, blood vessels, heart and nervous system suffer.

A number of observational studies, together with known biological mechanisms, give reason to consider vaping as a factor of possible metabolic and cardiovascular risk.

Sensitivity of tissues to insulin – the hormone through which glucose passes from the blood into cells – nicotine can reduce. This condition is called insulin resistance. It serves as the basis of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes.

Children and adolescents are more often diagnosed with type 1 diabetes - a disease of an autoimmune nature. For the first time, cases of diabetes mellitus are most often recorded at the age of 10–14 years, when hormonal changes are especially active. Usually, it is during these years that many teenagers first get acquainted with bad habits – including vapes and other nicotine-containing products. Vaping, especially with nicotine, can impair glucose control: stress hormones under the influence of nicotine grow, blood sugar fluctuates, and tissue sensitivity to insulin decreases. For a teenager who has already confirmed diabetes, this leads to an increased risk of hyperglycemia, difficulties with the selection of insulin doses and vascular complications in the future. In addition, the aerosol increases inflammatory processes and harms the heart, blood vessels and lungs - organs that are already weakened in diabetes.

Adolescence is a time of rapid growth, hormonal changes and consolidation of habits that often remain with a person for many years. Many young people already have the prerequisites of type 2 diabetes: excess weight, low physical activity, an unbalanced diet, sleep deficit, constant stress, hereditary predisposition.

With this background, nicotine, used regularly, falls on the body with an additional burden. It can increase insulin resistance, increase vascular risks and form dependence, which is especially difficult for a teenager to get rid of.

It is also important that the brain actively develops until about 25 years. Nicotine can affect attention, memory, emotional regulation and impulse control. So vape is not a “fashion accessory”, but a device that can quickly cause addiction and cause devastating damage.

Getting rid of nicotine means taking care not only of the lungs, but also of normal metabolism, the state of blood vessels and your own future. Today, there seems to be a strong trend towards healthy well-being and success: energy, well-being, clarity of thought, physical activity and a conscious attitude towards your future become valuable. If a teenager is already floating, blaming him and scaring him is useless, it is better to calmly talk about the risks, offer support and serve as an example for the child.