Does Vaping Have Calories?

Vaping has become an increasingly popular alternative to smoking cigarettes. Many people switch to vaping with the belief that it is a healthier and safer option. However, there are still many unknowns surrounding vaping. This article explores what is currently known about vaping and calories.

Why Does Vaping Contain Calories?

The key ingredient in vaping liquid is propylene glycol, an odorless liquid that is used to produce the vapor that is inhaled. By itself, propylene glycol does not contain any calories or nutrients. However, most vaping liquids also contain vegetable glycerin, flavorings, and nicotine.

Vegetable glycerin is a syrupy liquid derived from plant oils. It is slightly sweet and contains about 4 calories per gram. Most vaping liquids contain between 10% and 50% vegetable glycerin. So, a few puffs of vape introduce 4-20 calories into the body through vegetable glycerin alone.

Additionally, most vaping liquids have added flavorings to give them a specific taste, similar to candy or fruit flavors. These flavor chemicals add a very minor amount of calories as well. Lastly, vaping liquids that contain nicotine also introduce negligible calories into the body through the nicotine content.

So, in summary, it's mainly the vegetable glycerin component of vaping liquid that contains calories that get absorbed by the body during inhalation. A vegetable glycerin and propylene glycol ratio of 70/30, which is common in vaping liquid, provides about 10 calories per milliliter inhaled.

How Many Calories Are in a Puff of Vape?

Most vaping setups produce roughly 2 to 3 milliliters of vape liquid used per 200 puffs. If we take an average vaping liquid with 20% vegetable glycerin content, that's about 0.05 calories introduced per puff. So, for every 10 puffs of vape, around 0.5 calories are being ingested. While it's not a huge number, frequent vaping throughout the day could lead to nearly 100 calories or more being consumed by vaping alone.

Does Vaping Make You Gain Weight?

There is little evidence that vaping itself causes weight gain. The small amount of calories in vaping liquids is negligible. However, the flavor chemicals may increase appetite and food cravings in some people, which could lead to overeating and weight gain indirectly. But, vaping without an increase in total calorie intake is unlikely to lead to weight gain.

Can Vaping Help You Lose Weight?

Vaping is not an effective or healthy way to lose weight. While it introduces minimal calories, there is no evidence vaping increases resting calorie expenditure or metabolism. Replacing cigarette smoking with vaping may prevent some weight gain associated with quitting smoking. But, vaping itself does not burn a significant number of calories or facilitate weight loss.

Will Vaping Break My Intermittent Fasting Results?

Occasionally, vaping during intermittent fasting windows is unlikely to break ketosis or undermine fasting benefits for most people. However, chronic and heavy vaping may introduce enough calories to technically break a fasted state. Vaping habits and fasting results can vary individually, so speak to your healthcare provider about your specific vaping and fasting regimen.

How Many Extra Calories Am I Intaking From Vaping Daily?

Most vaping setups deliver around 0.05 calories per puff. If you vape around 200 puffs per day, that would equate to about 10 calories consumed through vaping. If vaping heavily at over 500 puffs daily, you may intake 25 calories or more. So for light to moderate vapers, less than 50 extra calories are typical, but can edge higher with frequent, chain vaping.

Conclusion

While vaping is often perceived as a calorie-free activity, there is evidence that vaping liquids contain small amounts of calories that get absorbed by the body. These calories mainly come from vegetable glycerin and flavor chemicals. On average, every few puffs of a vape may provide around 0.5 calories or more.

For light and moderate vapers, this calorie intake from vaping itself is fairly negligible. However, frequent, chain vaping over hundreds of puffs per day could feasibly lead to nearly 100 extra calories consumed or more, especially for vaping liquids higher in vegetable glycerin content.

So, ultimately, does vaping have calories? The answer seems to be yes, but in rather small quantities that likely won't impact weight significantly. Still, for those tracking calories tightly or practicing fasting, accounting for these potential extra calories from vaping may be prudent. As research in this area continues, guidance around vaping's caloric impact may evolve.

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