{"id":1147771,"date":"2026-08-14T08:34:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-14T08:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1147771\/"},"modified":"2026-08-14T08:34:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-14T08:34:28","slug":"which-is-really-worst-for-your-health-smoking-vaping-or-nicotine-pouches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1147771\/","title":{"rendered":"Which is really worst for your health, smoking, vaping or nicotine pouches?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"Which
\n\t\tThe fact is, no nicotine use is truly benign (Picture: Getty\/Metro)<\/p>\n

Cigarettes, vapes and nicotine pouches<\/a> all deliver the same addictive drug, nicotine, but they do so in very different ways \u2014 and people can be pretty territorial about their method of choice.<\/p>\n

Some smokers are wary of the long-term effects of vaping<\/a>, seeing it as a case of better the devil you know, whereas e-cigarette and pouch loyals often defend their habit with \u2018at least it\u2019s not a cigarette\u2019.<\/p>\n

But which is actually worst for your health?<\/p>\n

As Dr Rayyan Zafar tells Metro<\/strong>, none of these options are benign, so \u2018if you do not use nicotine, do not start.\u2019<\/p>\n

However, the Imperial College neuropsychopharmacologist and senior researcher at Drug Science says <\/strong>there\u2019s a clear answer as to what does the most harm: \u2018Cigarettes, by a very large margin.\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tAsk Metro<\/p>\n

Use AI to go deeper into the stories you care about \u2013 powered by Metro and trusted publications.<\/p>\n

The main reason for this is combustion. When tobacco is burned, it produces carbon monoxide, fine particles and thousands of chemicals, including numerous carcinogens.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"\"
\n\t\tCigarettes are worst \u2018by a very large margin\u2019 (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Smoking is linked to a huge range of serious health problems<\/a>, including lung cancer<\/a> and cancers of the mouth, throat, larynx, oesophagus, pancreas, bladder and kidney.<\/p>\n

It also dramatically increases the risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack, stroke and peripheral vascular disease, while being a major cause of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic bronchitis and emphysema.<\/p>\n

According to Dr Zafar, the majority of these issues \u2018are caused by<\/a> inhaling the toxic chemicals produced when tobacco burns, rather than by nicotine itself.\u2019<\/p>\n

He adds: \u2018There is no safe level of cigarette smoking. Even smoking relatively few cigarettes can cause disproportionate cardiovascular harm.\u2019<\/p>\n

How harmful is vaping?<\/p>\n

This certainly doesn\u2019t mean vaping is harmless.<\/p>\n

As vapes don\u2019t burn tobacco, users are exposed to<\/a> \u2018substantially lower concentrations\u2019 of many of the chemicals associated with cancer, respiratory illness and cardiovascular disease found in cigarette smoke.<\/p>\n

But the vapour they create may contain<\/a> fine particles, metals, aldehydes and flavouring-related chemicals that irritate or inflame the airways, causing common side effects<\/a> like coughing, dry mouth, sore throat, headaches and nausea.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Woman
\n\t\tAlthough vaping is better, it\u2019s still not harm-free (Picture: Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Nicotine has also been shown to temporarily raise heart rate and blood pressure, with high-strength modern vapes capable of delivering enough of it to create significant dependence.<\/p>\n

Still, Dr Zafar stresses that even without the \u2018decades of evidence needed to calculate vaping\u2019s precise lifetime risks<\/a>\u2019, what we do have indicates it\u2019s a lot less damaging than smoking.<\/p>\n

And what about nicotine pouches?<\/p>\n

Then there\u2019s tobacco-free nicotine pouches, which Dr Zafar says \u2018may be the least harmful\u2019 of the three since there\u2019s no carbon monoxide and combustion involved. <\/p>\n

While studies suggest they\u2019re likely to be substantially less harmful than cigarettes though, he highlights that because these products are relatively new, research is limited in terms of long-term regular use.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tWhat do you think is the most harmful nicotine-related habit?<\/p>\n