Vapes have come a long way since the early days of long cigarette-shaped devices with short battery lives and harsh vapor.

Nowadays, vapes are available in various sizes and shapes, with e-liquid flavors ranging from questionable options like blue cheese to sweet treats like strawberry watermelon and gummy bears.

As foodies know, delicious things often come at a price for your health, and sweet-tasting vape juice is no different. Here, we look at the ingredients in different vape liquids that raise questions for your health. 

Understanding Vape Juice Ingredients

Vape juice, much like vapes themselves, has come a long way as the popularity of vapes has increased. Banning the chemical diacetyl, a sweetener that caused an issue called “popcorn lung,” a respiratory issue affecting people who vape, has made vape juices safer. However, other ingredients may cause health risks. Here are the main following ingredients in most vape juices: 

• PG (Propylene Glycol)

• VG (Vegetable Glycerin)

• Nicotine (optional)

• Flavor concentrates

Most vape juice contains either propylene glycol (PG) or vegetable glycerin (VG), which act as the base liquid or carrier for the nicotine and flavors (the ingredients that keep you coming back for more).

Nicotine is added and is available in a variety of strengths, usually starting at 3mg. Flavor concentrates provide the sweet flavors that lots of vapers enjoy. 

Sweeteners in E-liquids

Vape juice doesn’t contain sugars like sucrose, glucose, or fructose because they do not burn well at high temperatures. Flavor concentrates contain artificial sweeteners like sucralose and ethyl maltol and natural flavorings like stevia and monk fruit extract.

The ingredients in these flavor concentrates may break down into harmful byproducts like formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and benzene. These flavors are so robust that they typically comprise between 5% and 20% of the vape liquid.

They are available in single flavors like fruits or different types of mint and complex blends for more specific flavors like bakery items, ice creams, and other dessert flavors. 

Are Sweeteners in Vapes Harmful?

Sweeteners are a healthy alternative to traditional sugars in food because they do not cause blood sugar levels to spike in the same way, broken down by the gut and liver.

 Sweeteners in vape juice are not ingested but inhaled. Heating them to high enough temperatures to become vapor poses health risks that don’t exist when you ingest them in food.

When you burn e-liquid in your vape, the VG or PG that often contains the flavorings may produce byproducts that can be harmful, like formaldehyde, benzene, and acetaldehyde, which are known carcinogens, and acrolein, which can irritate the lungs and cause respiratory issues.

Due to the relatively short time that vapes have been on the scene, these flavorings may damage the body in the long term. More research is necessary to discover the lasting damage of different vape liquid ingredients. 

Impact on Blood Sugar and Diabetes

E-liquid contains sweeteners, but they may not be the only issue for people with diabetes who also vape. Nicotine, one of the main ingredients in most vape juice, stimulates the release of adrenaline and cortisol, which produce glucose and may cause insulin resistance.

While not vaping-specific, across-sectional study from 2024 found “associations between different types of smoking behaviors and self-reported prediabetes and diabetes among U.S. adults.” Another2023 study concluded, “E-cigarette use may be associated with insulin resistance.” 

Vaping is not advised for people with diabetes because some ingredients, like nicotine, may cause glucose production, and the effects of vaping on the body may mask the effects of a diabetic attack. 

Dental and Respiratory Health Considerations

While potentially not as damaging as sugar, sweeteners still pose a risk to a vaper's oral health. Vaping increases plaque levels in the mouth, plaque calcium concentration, inflammation, and more.

According to the CDC, "1 in 2 men and 1 in 3 women 30 years or older had some level of periodontitis," while smokers have "twice the risk for gum disease compared with a nonsmoker."

Sweeteners used in vapes contain a sticky residue that can stick to teeth. Additionally, dry mouth, a common issue with vaping, can be a breeding ground for harmful bacteria as saliva cleans the mouth and helps prevent cavities. 

In addition to oral health issues, respiratory issues may also arise from e-liquid that contains sweeteners. The toxic byproducts caused by burning sweeteners to high temperatures may irritate the lungs and, in the worst cases, cause severerespiratory issues.

Conclusion

Vape liquid does not contain traditional sugar. Instead, sweeteners are present in most mixes to provide the sweet taste that vapers are familiar with. Sweeteners are a healthy alternative to sugar in food.

However, when burnt at high temperatures, toxic byproducts are produced, which can be an issue when inhaled. Scientific research is ongoing, which means it’s impossible to determine the long-term effects of inhaling vape liquid containing sweeteners on the body. It’s essential to stay up-to-date on emerging findings.