New UK Study: Vaping Linked to a ~15% Fitness Drop in Young Adults — An Honest Take From a Vape Shop
Last updated: 21 July 2026
A new UK study led by Manchester Metropolitan University found that young adults who vape have roughly 15% lower exercise capacity than people who have never smoked or vaped — about the same reduction as smokers. It was published in ERJ Open Research in July 2026, and it's been everywhere this week. We sell vapes for a living, so you might expect us to pick holes in it. We're not going to. Here's what the study actually found, what it doesn't say, and what an honest vape shop thinks you should do with it.
What the study actually did
The researchers took 75 people aged 18–30, split into three groups: people who had never smoked or vaped, smokers who had never vaped, and vapers (around three years of use) who had never smoked. All had normal resting lung function and similar lifestyles. Each did an incremental cycling test to their maximum, with heart, breathing and blood lactate measured throughout, plus ultrasound scans and blood tests on their arteries.
The results, in the lead author Dr Azmy Faisal's words: "Like smoking, our research indicates that vaping can lead to harmful changes to the blood vessels, lung efficiency during exercise and approximately a 15% reduction in fitness compared to those who have never smoked or vaped." Vapers and smokers alike showed lower peak oxygen uptake, faster lactic acid build-up, more breathlessness and leg fatigue, and signs of inflammation in the blood vessels.
What the study does NOT say
Three things worth being precise about, because headlines flatten them:
- It doesn't say vaping is as harmful as smoking overall. It measured one thing — exercise capacity and vascular function in young adults — and found similar effects there. Smoking's biggest harms (cancer, COPD, heart disease) accumulate over decades through combustion by-products vaping doesn't produce. The broader evidence picture is the one we laid out in our NHS evidence review: substantially less harmful than smoking is not the same claim as harmless.
- It's a small snapshot, not the final word. 75 people, measured once. The team themselves are now planning MRI studies to understand the mechanism. That's how science is supposed to work.
- It isn't an argument for going back to cigarettes. The smokers in the study fared no better — and carry all the combustion risks on top.
Our honest take, as people who sell this stuff
This study points at the group we've always said shouldn't vape: young people who never smoked. Dr Faisal said the findings matter "particularly for the growing number of young adults who have never smoked but choose to use these products" — and he's right. Vaping exists as an off-ramp from smoking. If you don't smoke, there is no upside here, and this study is early evidence of a real physical cost. That's why the line at the bottom of every article we publish says the same thing: if you don't use nicotine, don't start.
If you're a smoker using vaping to get off cigarettes, the calculus hasn't changed — the NHS-backed Swap to Stop evidence still stands, and switching remains the single best move a smoker can make short of quitting nicotine entirely. But treat vaping as a stage, not a destination: our step-down plan and nicotine strength guide exist precisely so you can work downward — 20mg to 10mg to lower — instead of parking at maximum strength forever.
And if you're a vaper who trains — runs, lifts, plays Sunday league — this study is worth taking personally. The lactic-acid and breathlessness findings applied at every exercise level, not just at maximum. If you've noticed your engine isn't what it was, it may not just be age. More context on how vaping interacts with the rest of your health is in our vaping and sleep and dental health evidence guides — and our myths piece deals with both directions of nonsense: "it's just water vapour" and "it's as bad as smoking" are both wrong.
The regulatory backdrop
The study lands amid the Tobacco and Vapes Act rollout — and the authors explicitly framed their findings as supporting restrictions on youth access. With 5.5 million UK vapers and rising numbers of never-smokers among them, expect this research to be quoted in every consultation response for the next year, including the current plain packaging consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did the 2026 vaping fitness study find?
The Manchester Metropolitan University-led study of 75 adults aged 18–30, published in ERJ Open Research, found vapers and smokers both had roughly 15% lower exercise capacity and oxygen uptake than never-users, plus faster lactic acid build-up, more breathlessness and signs of blood vessel inflammation.
Does this mean vaping is as bad as smoking?
No — it means vaping matched smoking on this specific measure (fitness and vascular function in young adults). Smoking carries additional major long-term risks from combustion, including cancer and COPD, which is why UK health bodies still advise smokers that switching is the less harmful option.
Should I stop vaping because of this study?
If you vape but never smoked — especially if you're young — this study is a genuine reason to quit; there was never a health upside for you. If you switched from smoking, the advice is unchanged: don't go back to cigarettes, and use a step-down plan to reduce your nicotine over time.
Does vaping affect sports performance?
This study suggests yes: vapers showed reduced oxygen uptake and earlier lactic acid build-up at all exercise intensities, which translates directly to worse endurance and more breathlessness during training.
Who conducted the study and where was it published?
It was led by Dr Azmy Faisal at Manchester Metropolitan University's Department of Sport and Exercise Sciences and published in ERJ Open Research (the European Respiratory Society's open-access journal) in July 2026. The team is planning follow-up MRI studies.
Vape7Store sells to over-18s only with Challenge 25 verification. Vaping is for adult smokers switching away from cigarettes — if you don't use nicotine, don't start.