New research has found that vaping flavours matter far more to your health than how often you actually vape. Scientists say vaping flavours and the device used drive most of the harmful biological changes seen in regular users. The findings appear in the journal Frontiers in Oncology and carry real weight as regulators consider approving more flavoured vape products.

Vaping Flavours Account for Most Harmful Gene Changes

Scientists at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California (USC) recruited 83 participants: regular vapers, smokers, and non-users. They analysed gene expression across all groups. People who regularly used vaping flavours showed altered activity in 3,124 genes compared with non-smokers and non-vapers.

The breakdown tells a clear story. Only 28.8% of those gene changes related to how frequently or heavily someone vapes. A much larger share, 66.6%, traced back to vaping flavours and device type. What someone vapes, it turns out, matters considerably more than how much they vape.

“The implication is that each flavour has unique attributes that produce different biological effects,” said senior author Ahmad Besaratinia, Professor of Research Population and Public Health Sciences at USC. He added that regulators should carefully weigh the risks of each individual flavoured e-cigarette product rather than treating them as a single category.

Fruit E-Cigarette Flavours Carry the Greatest Risk

Not all e-cigarette flavours carry the same level of risk. The data shows a stark difference between them. Sweet vaping flavours connected to changes in 2.9% of affected genes. Mint and menthol affected just 0.9%. Fruit flavours, however, linked to changes in 31% of affected genes. Users who mixed multiple flavours showed the greatest impact of all, with 64.3% of affected genes showing altered activity.

Device type also shapes the harm caused by vaping flavours. Advanced refillable devices, known as mods, produced stronger and more consistent gene regulation changes than older models. These devices deliver higher nicotine concentrations. Many also contain additives that make vaping smoother and more appealing, which may deepen the biological damage.

E-Cigarette Flavours Linked to Cancer Risk Pathways

The research team ran a detailed bioinformatics analysis to map which diseases and pathways connected to the gene expression changes found among users of e-cigarette flavours. Cancer topped the list. Endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal diseases, and neurological conditions followed closely.

These results carry particular weight because e-cigarettes are still relatively new. Long-term consequences remain unclear. But gene expression shifts act as early warning signals. This study suggests those signals are already firing in regular users of vaping flavours.

What This Means for Vaping Flavours Regulation

The FDA is currently finalising its guidance on flavoured vaping products. Regulators must weigh whether e-cigarettes help adult smokers quit against the risks they pose to younger users.

The USC team believes that framing does not go far enough. “We show here that vaping flavoured products is associated with disease-related molecular changes, regardless of the user’s age,” Besaratinia said. The researchers call for closer scrutiny of specific vaping flavours and device characteristics. Treating all products as broadly equivalent, they argue, misses the point entirely.

Scientists Now Target the Chemicals Behind Harmful Vaping Flavours

The research team now turns its focus to the specific chemicals inside vaping liquids. The goal is to pinpoint which compounds drive the gene changes they observed in users of different e-cigarette flavours.

“Once we identify these chemicals, policymakers could instruct manufacturers to either eliminate them or reduce their levels in e-cigarette products to minimise potential harm,” Besaratinia said.

The National Institutes of Health and the University of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Programme part-funded this work.

The evidence keeps building. Vaping flavours and device choices are not minor details. They sit at the heart of the biological harm this habit causes. For anyone weighing up the risks, that is a fact worth taking seriously.

Source: news-medical