Vape the pounds away: Can Vaping be a key tool in fighting obesity?

Obesity is a dirty little word that follows around most major powers in the world, as we all try to balance readily available garbage food with growing inactivity.

The result? We as a people are getting considerably fatter, and our health is declining. Despite what some people may tell you, this is a big, big problem.

However, Vaping is having some unexpected side effects which could make a significant impact on our waistlines. That being how flavoured liquids seem to be reducing user's cravings for naughty treats and fatty snacks.

Professor Linda Bauld, a leading researcher at the University of Stirling, has argued that Vaping could be a very effective means of managing weight, but particularly for those who are cutting out cigarettes.

'Weight gain prevents some smokers from quitting, so we need to explore alternative ways of helping these individuals control their weight, while removing the risks of tobacco use.'

As many of us know, giving up smoking almost always leads to some minor or major weight gain, as the lack of nicotine and boredom direct us right into the path of unhealthy eating habits and worse. If we're talking about personal experiences here, my own attempts to quit ended up with a series of interlinked food comas thanks to Subway, Dominoes and enormous tubs of unidentified sweetened animal fats. It all seemed like a good idea at the time.

Food flavourings and the rhythmic, repetitive actions of vaping can help to distract users from cravings and hunger, but it should also be made abundantly clear that this solution is not recommended for anyone who doesn't smoke. New habits are never good habits, unless they involve going to the gym or teaching dogs to play the tuba.

The NHS currently struggles with caring for both smokers and obese patients, and any solution to both issues at once is always welcome. The study, lovingly titled ‘Could vaping be a new weapon in the battle of the bulge?', was published in the Oxford Journal's Nicotine and Tobacco Research journal.

Minimising weight gain and even assisting in dropping those excess pounds is a very attractive thing for any product to boast, but this research should be taken with a degree of scrutiny. Until we know exactly how nicotine affects our unending craving for sweets and other less than balanced meal choices, the truth is obscured with uncertainties.

That said, if vaping can help our waistlines fall back into good form, we'll be very happy indeed. As for me, I am a lost cause, and at the time of writing am currently shovelling 85 twix's down my throat. Go on without me.