New research shows that vaping, smoking and even using nicotine gum and patches may increase the risk of fatal heat exhaustion.
The warning came as Britain braces for a ‘mini heatwave’ this weekend, with the mercury expected to reach 31C in some areas. It also comes as new figures show one in 10 adults now vape.
An international research team linked nicotine to heat exhaustion. They recruited 10 men who did not smoke or vape and gave them a nicotine patch to wear at night.
The men were then asked to cycle non-stop for 60 minutes in rooms heated to 20°C and 30°C.
The volunteers’ temperatures were then measured, both internally, using a temperature testing pill that is swallowed and then wirelessly sends data to an app, and externally, on the skin.
The warning will be of particular concern to the one in 10 adults who now vape, according to the latest figures released this week (stock image)
Although it was initially touted as a way to quit smoking, research shows that many of those who now vape have never smoked. Earlier this year, bosses at the World Health Organisation (WHO) ruled that vaping cannot be recommended as a way to quit smoking, because too little is known about the harms and benefits
The forecast has prompted the UK’s Health Security Agency to issue a 54-hour heat health warning for large parts of Britain
The next day they were given a dummy patch without nicotine and the exercise was repeated.
This experiment was repeated four times and neither the participants nor the researchers knew when they received active or inactive patches.
Two participants had to stop the 30C nicotine trials because one had ‘reached the ethical upper limit for gastrointestinal temperature’ and the other stopped because of ‘nausea and chills’.
The team concluded that nicotine use increases the ‘thermal load’ during exercise, leading to heat exhaustion because blood flow to the skin is reduced.
Physiologist Professor Toby Mundel of Brock University in Canada, who led the research, based his findings on studies showing that ex-smokers tend to gain weight when they quit. He said: ‘Nicotine appears to speed up a person’s metabolism, which essentially increases the number of calories you burn.’
Other studies have also shown that nicotine constricts blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the skin.
Blood flow to the skin allows the body to release heat and provides the fluid for sweat. If this is restricted, the body can overheat, he added.
A yellow weather warning is in place for the 54-hour period from 6pm until 20 July. The highest temperatures will be recorded in London, the south-east and east of England and the east Midlands.
The warm weather follows a wet start to July, which saw the country receive 97 percent of the month’s usual average rainfall.
South-east England and London will bear the brunt of the heat, with temperatures potentially rising to 31 degrees Celsius.
The weather is expected to become milder again on Sunday, but the Met Office warns of “minor impacts on the health and social care sector” that could increase “the risk of death among vulnerable people”.
Around one in five Britons are thought to smoke or vape, with the latter rate rising sharply, particularly among those under 25.
Although it was initially touted as a way to quit smoking, research shows that many of the people who now vape have never smoked before.
Earlier this month, bosses at the World Health Organization (WHO) ruled that vaping cannot be recommended as a way to quit smoking, as too little is known about its benefits and harms.
The international organisation’s ruling contradicts advice from the NHS, which says the devices are an effective way to kick the habit, which is one of the biggest causes of illness and death in the UK.
In a globally unique guideline outlining possible interventions to help people quit using tobacco products, the WHO describes the evidence surrounding e-cigarettes as ‘complex’.
Vapes “may” be recommended as a smoking cessation aid in the future “as evidence accumulates,” the report said.
Instead, health officials should support “behavioral” supports, such as counseling, smartphone apps and nicotine replacement therapy, to help people quit smoking.
Professor Mundel said his team’s findings linking nicotine to heat exhaustion also raised concerns about the upcoming Olympic Games, which start in Paris next week, when, paradoxically, so many athletes smoke or vape.
Through urine tests taken at international sporting events between 2012 and 2020, Professor Mundel found that as many as 55 percent of baseball players, 43 percent of hockey players and 42 percent of football players were nicotine users, according to elevated levels in their samples.
The last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, were “the hottest and most humid Olympics ever,” but the upcoming Games are expected to break those records again.
“If you hold the Olympics in an urban environment with little greenery and a lot of pavement and concrete, which absorbs heat, you run a greater risk of heat exhaustion for the athletes and the audience watching them,” he said.
Earlier this year, a separate study found that one in five male and female professional footballers use snus nicotine pouches, which are placed in the mouth.
According to Professor Mundel, the results of his research are not only relevant to athletes, but also to others who work in high-temperature environments, such as the military, fire brigades and in certain industries.
Everything you need to know about e-cigarettes
How much nicotine is in an e-cigarette?
There are many different brands of e-cigarettes, with different nicotine levels.
The legal amount of nicotine in an e-liquid in the UK is 20mg/ml, which is equivalent to 600 to 800 puffs.
One of the UK’s most popular vapes, the Elf Bar 600 is advertised in 0mg, 10mg and 20mg nicotine strengths.
How many cigarettes are in an e-cigarette?
According to analysts, the Elf Bar 600 contains the equivalent of 48 cigarettes.
It’s good for 600 puffs before you have to throw it away. In theory, that’s one cigarette, instead of one puff.
According to experts, with many e-cigarettes, 100 puffs are equivalent to ten regular cigarettes.
Elf Bars are a brand of e-cigarettes that often come in bright colors and with kid-friendly names and flavors, such as Blue Razz Lemonade and Green Gummy Bear.
Is vaping better for your health than cigarettes?
According to the NHS, vaping products are considered better than cigarettes because users are exposed to fewer toxins and in lower concentrations.
The health agency adds that vaping instead of smoking reduces exposure to toxins that can cause cancer, lung disease and cardiovascular diseases such as strokes and heart attacks.
Public Health England, now defunct, published an independent expert review in 2015 which found that e-cigarettes are around 95 percent less harmful than cigarettes.
However, vaping is not without risk. Although the concentrations in tobacco products are much higher, e-cigarettes still contain harmful toxins, according to a study by researchers from the Medical University of Silesia in Poland.
And Dr. Onkar Mudhar, a London-based dentist who posts videos on TikTok, says Elf bars can cause gum inflammation, swelling and bleeding.
According to him, this is because nicotine dries out your mouth and reduces saliva production, which causes irritation due to the build-up of bacteria and food particles that cannot be washed away.
In 2022, nearly 350 hospital admissions were recorded in England due to vaping. The main cause is thought to be respiratory problems, such as shortness of breath, chest pain, pneumonia and in severe cases respiratory failure.
