The harm of habitual vapes has long been proven. And the industry, quick to catch the wave, has released "healthy" alternatives. And it is not (yet) forbidden by law. Let's find out if it's a game of vapor or fire.
Production of the first vitamin vapes started in 2011, of course, in America. And very soon inhalers began to be sold in every corner. Later the trend reached our latitudes. In Ukraine, "healthy cigarettes" are advertised even by bloggers. In Russia, vitamin vapes can be easily ordered, for example, on Ozon or Wildberries.
These devices look like electronic sticks. The mechanics are simple: instead of the usual nicotine - vitamins. Inside the inhaler, a liquid nutrient mixture is heated, and then it turns into steam. Inhaling the latter, we are supposed to get useful substances. Why vapes? Manufacturers of devices claim that in this way tiny particles of vitamins are transported to the lungs and from there are absorbed directly into the bloodstream. The process is proudly called substance delivery by microaerosolization.
"A modern option to equip the body with vitamins. I started to feel more active. I have more energy, and I don't want to sleep all the time like before."
Manufacturers claim that you get "four times as much vitamin B12 when you use these vapes regularly as you would with a similar injection." Phil Battiade, founder and executive director of the Infusio Vitamin and Stem Cell Infusion Clinic, notes that people actually absorb vitamins faster when they "smoke them." Positive customer feedback is also already in.
"After using it, I feel a rush of vigor and energy in my body!"
"Usually when I quit smoking, I gained weight quickly and was very irritable. As a result, I didn't gain pounds and felt less aggression.
"Before, I couldn't fall asleep for quite a long time, I used to occupy myself with soap operas. Now my husband and I pair up for half an hour before bedtime. Now we sleep like crazy.
"A great alternative to tobacco products - completely safe and all-natural."
CULMINATION
Is it absolutely safe? The vast majority of consumers are people who are trying to either reduce or completely eliminate cigarettes from their lives. But as with nicotine vapes, the situation here is far from clear-cut. And rather, we are dealing with an anti-utopia.
There are no reliable studies on the benefits of such units. Moreover, for example, the website of Nutriair, one of the manufacturers of vitamin inhalers, says in black and white that their products are approved by the FDA, an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA oversees the quality of food, drugs, cosmetics, tobacco products and certain other categories of goods, and also oversees compliance with laws and standards in this area. The FDA, logically, has an electronic resource, and in this case, checking the information is a matter of five seconds.
Type the code word "Nutriair" into a search engine. Did you find anything? Neither did I.
The fact is that such products a priori cannot fall under FDA jurisdiction - the products are registered as vapes. "There's no evidence that inhaling vitamins through vaping does any good," says Humberto Choi, M.D., a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic. - And if a product is not regulated by the FDA, it's impossible to confirm its composition, too." It's safe to say here that drug therapy through inhalation of any substance is not a new method, and it's not just actively used in the vape industry. "But it may not be the same when it comes to vitamins," explains Julie Devinsky, M.D., a clinical dietitian at The Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
The research to which vitamin device manufacturers appeal is questionable and hopelessly outdated. Single-digit sampling patterns and dating from 50 years ago are definitely questionable. And here are the credible reserches: in these three papers (1, 2, 3), researchers found a direct correlation between vaping (in any of its hypostases) and an increased risk of heart attacks and COPD. Plus evidence uncovered that prolonged exposure to fine particles of air pollution is detrimental to the body. "The devices emit tiny chemical particles that are deposited in the far corners of the lungs, causing inflammation," Humberto Choi continues. - In the short term, this can lead to coughs or bronchitis."
According to another reliable study, any vape liquids change their composition when exposed to heat - without a higher degree, the vitamin liquid simply will not turn into vapor. Bottom line: new, potentially dangerous chemical ingredients emerge. Take the same diacetyl, an organic flavoring used in e-cigarettes. When heated to super-high temperatures, it "scratches" the lungs and causes dry cough or shortness of breath. Most manufacturers of vitamin vapes claim that there is no diacetyl in their products, never has been and never will be. And how can you take their word for it when the products are not regulated by the FDA? It's a vicious circle.
And by the way, about those same B vitamins. B12 is extremely sensitive to heat or steam. This experiment proved that exposing milk to high-temperature steam reduced its vitamin B12 content by almost 20%. So much for "four times more vitamin B12 compared to injecting the substance." The bottom line is that most useful substances are water- or fat-soluble (vitamins A, D, E and K in particular). Therefore, only passive absorption of vitamins is possible in the lungs. "We have a perfectly engineered gastrointestinal tract that is designed to absorb nutrients," says Julie Devinsky. - Because the lungs function differently, it's hard to tell if inhaled vitamins will get into your bloodstream." But, of course, manufacturers of "healthy cigarettes" still cite the bloodstream as the destination. 
"To me, [vitamin vapes] are just a marketing ploy to sell a product and make it look healthier. After all, consumers associate vitamins with health," Regan Bailey, an epidemiologist and nutrition expert at Purdue University Research, shared with Scientific American. - These foods may be perfectly safe, but they may not be.
DIVISION
D. in medicine, gynecologist, general director of multidisciplinary clinic "Crede Experto": Inesa Knysheva
"There are no publications on this topic in the Russian scientific community. So I will rely on reliable foreign sources.
First of all, we do not know the exact composition of such vape blends. In some publications manufacturers say that we are facing oil inhalers, that is, they are made on the basis of vegetable oils. If we read any publications of domestic authors on the subject of oil solutions for inhalation, we can see that this method is considered extremely useful, especially for the upper respiratory tract. But the only thing is that the procedures work locally. And, by the way, the oil film does not allow the vitamins to penetrate into the general bloodstream.
Secondly, B vitamins and not only B vitamins are mostly water-soluble. If they are contained in oil inhalations, then it becomes generally incomprehensible how the substances in principle can get anywhere. After all, the latter should not be in oil, but in an aqueous solution.
Many vitamins are well absorbed sublingually. Capsules enter the gastrointestinal tract, dissolve in the intestines and stomach, and are excreted through the liver and kidneys. Sprays and lozenges enter the bloodstream immediately through the oral mucosa, bypassing the intestines. The inner kitchen of inhalations is very controversial. In addition, some publications of domestic verified authors say that there are strict regulations for performing oil inhalations. It is necessary to inhale correctly through the nose, so that the oil drops do not get into the airways and do not form there the so-called fat films, which reduce the breathing surface of the lungs. Then there will be a therapeutic effect.
What the American authors write in their publications only shows that there are no large substantiated studies confirming that this method of vitamin delivery into the body is safe. The oils used in vitamin and nicotine e-cigarettes are the same.
And we can responsibly declare: vitamin devices are vaping devices, not inhalers. In fact, we are faced with the usual dietary supplements.
There are no clinical trials to prove their harmlessness, either. And their absence, in my opinion, is unacceptable for every product that carries the word "vitamin". By the way, I have not found anywhere instructions, indications and contraindications for such products. Some authors also say that the manufacturers of vitamin vapes put tests on consumers in person, which in any case is unacceptable. When vitamins are administered orally or intravenously, all of their absorption processes have long been studied. How substances break down, what metabolites, how they are filtered, excreted, what active effect they will have. And those reviews that are published by users are very likely to have a placebo effect.
At this point, we can say this: it's good if it doesn't hurt. In any case, there is no active benefit from vaping. It is possible that this magic wand will help someone to give up nicotine, but then again there is the question of how harmless the sticks themselves are. Especially since they do not have any "exclusive" vitamins that we could not get any other way.
Vitamin vape inhalers are an extremely controversial story. Now we could add a spoon of honey to this barrel of tar and say the trademark "everything is better than regular cigarettes," but then again we can't be sure of that. One thing is certain: Trust, but verify.
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