Does Vaping Have Calories?
There are lots of debates surrounding vaping, but you might not have thought about vape juices and their potential effects on your weight. In fact, one of the most frequently asked questions when it comes to vapes is ‘Does vaping have calories?’
You don’t have to search far for an answer, as in this blog, we’ll delve into the science behind e-liquids and explore whether those sweet, flavourful clouds carry any hidden calories. We’ll break down the components of vape juices, address some common misconceptions, and ultimately discover whether there are calories in vapes.
Let’s get into it!
Are there calories in vapes?
To put it simply, yes, vape juice does contain calories, however, the amount is so small that it’s unlikely to have any significant impact on weight. It’s a fair question to ask, with many e-liquids being quite sweet tasting, especially ones that come in indulgent dessert flavours.
Vape juice is mostly made up of Propylene Glycol and Vegetable Glycerin, with added flavourings and nicotine also in the majority. All of these ingredients (which we’ll look at in a bit more detail) contain a very small amount of calories which equals approximately 4 calories per gram.
Even though the primary components of e-liquids contain calories, vaping is not likely to contribute to daily calorie intake. This is because the vapour is inhaled into the lungs and not ingested like food or drink. Essentially, when you vape you’re not swallowing or digesting anything, so the body doesn’t process the ‘calories’ in the same way it does when you eat.
Vape juice ingredients
To understand if vaping has calories, and just how many, we need to look into the components of e-liquids, which are otherwise known as vape juices. The most common vape juice ingredients include:
Propylene Glycol (PG) - This is a colourless and odourless liquid that is used as a base in many e-liquids. PG is known for carrying flavour well and providing a ‘throat hit’ similar to that of normal cigarettes. Technically, it contains 4.1 calories per gram, but it’s worth noting that PG is not ingested during vaping, but rather inhaled.
Vegetable Glycerin (VG) - Another common base ingredient in e-liquids, vegetable glycerin is derived from vegetable oils and is also a colourless, odourless, and sweet-tasting liquid. It’s thicker than PG and produces denser, more visible vapour clouds. It contains around 4.32 calories per gram, but similar to propylene glycol, it is inhaled and not ingested.
Flavourings - This is what gives e-liquids their wide variety of tastes. Essentially, flavourings in e-liquids are a diverse group of chemical compounds that are the same as those used in food products. In e-liquids that are compatible with vape kits, they are carefully selected to create a variety of flavours, from energy drinks to sweet candy.
Nicotine - In vape juices, nicotine provides the stimulant effect that many users seek from a traditional cigarette. It’s responsible for the ‘nicotine hit’, and it’s often expressed in milligrams per millilitre (mg/ml). Nicotine itself does not contain any calories.
So, while there are a small number of calories present in a few of the ingredients above, the method of consumption means that they have a very minimal impact on your body.
Do the calories in vapes actually matter?
After looking at the evidence above, the answer would appear to be no. With the average bottle of e-liquid containing around 30-50 calories at most, you are more likely to burn them off by simply being awake and moving around throughout your day than you are to see weight gain. While we’ve found out that e-liquids do contain calories, they are not absorbed in a way that significantly impacts your calorie intake. Therefore the calories in vapes generally do not matter in terms of weight gain.
Vaping Vs Eating
The calorie count in e-liquids can seem misleading, particularly when you compare it with digesting food. The body primarily processes calories through digestion, therefore the calories in vape vapour are not absorbed in the same way as calories from food or drink. Therefore, their impact on your overall calorie intake is considered insignificant.
Does vaping affect blood sugar levels?
While there are yet to be any strong clinical studies on the effect of e-cigarettes on blood sugar levels, it has been found that nicotine, a common component of e-liquids, can affect blood sugar levels. This is because it’s known to stimulate the release of hormones like adrenaline which can raise blood glucose. This can be particularly concerning for individuals with diabetes, as it can make it harder to manage their blood sugar.
Other vaping FAQs:
Does vaping make you lose weight?
While some studies suggest that nicotine in vaping might suppress appetite and potentially affect weight, the evidence is limited and therefore vaping is not a reliable or safe weight loss method. There are also other health risks that need to be considered.
Do vape puffs have calories?
The calorie content in a vape puff is basically negligible - any caloric impact would come from flavouring ingredients, which is incredibly minimal. When calculating calories per vape puff, it’s important to consider how much e-liquid is used and how calories translate from the ingredients. If we say that 1ml of vape juice yields approximately 100 puffs, each puff will contain roughly 0.05 calories.
Does vaping affect fasting?
The general consensus is that vaping does not break a health fast. This is because the number of calories that you get from vaping is negligible at most. Providing that you only inhale on your device’s vapour and do not consume calories from meals, vaping won't affect an intermittent fast.