There is a new risk to vaping

First recorded in a 1628 collection of Scottish proverbs, “If wishes were horses, beggars would ride” could use a modern update. All the wishing around vaping as a smart alternative to smoking tobacco has gone up in smoke and ... “If vaping were healthy, then smokers would thrive.”

A recent study identified a whole new risk associated with vaping: prediabetes! When researchers looked at data on 600,000 adults — 29% of whom were younger than 35 — they found that current e-cigarette users had a 20% increased risk of prediabetes compared with folks who had never vaped. That’s probably due to the bodywide inflammation and consequent insulin resistance that vaping causes.

Why does this matter? It’s “pre,” after all. Well, prediabetes comes with a full menu of health risks, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, dementia, skin aging and increased wrinkles, erectile dysfunction and fullblown diabetes with all its nerve, vision, kidney, heart and brain complications. A study in BMJ found that prediabetes was associated with a 13% increase in risk of all-cause mortality and a 15% increased risk of cardiovascular disease over 10 years.

Around 96 million Americans already have prediabetes — and many teens and young adults are now at increased risk for the condition because of vaping. About 63% of vapers who have never smoked tobacco are 18-24. So, if you’re not vaping — don’t start. And if you are vaping and are addicted to the nicotine or habituated to the flavors, check out teen.smokefree.gov/; search for “How to Quit Vaping.”

Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. His next book is “The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow.” Do you have a topic Dr. Mike should cover in a future column? If so, please email questions@ GreatAgeReboot.com.