# Does vaping act as an appetite suppressant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 21, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971 "2016-06-21T18:10:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/1 "2016-06-21T18:10:23Z")
A lot of people pile on lbs when they quit smoking. Does vaping nicotine have the same appetite suppressing effect as smoking tobacco? ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/2 "2016-06-22T14:46:18Z")
All the people I know who switched from cigarettes to vaping have done so without gaining weight – that includes me. Some fashion models used to smoke to help keep their weight down – now many of them vape instead. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/3 "2016-06-22T15:11:42Z")
Nicotine is a stimulant and stimulants in general act as appetite suppressants. Diet pills often contain caffeine, amphetamines, or other stimulant. Vaping is just a nicotine delivery system, and the delivery doesn’t matter. It’s going to act as an appetite suppressant. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/4 "2016-06-22T19:50:23Z")
Evaporative Nicotine Dispensing Systems ENDS This is how they are being referred to (by fiat?) in the FDA literature. ---
**Author:** ![HipGnosis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/76d3ee/32.png) [@HipGnosis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HipGnosis)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/5 "2016-06-22T19:52:52Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Nicotine is a stimulant and stimulants in general act as appetite suppressants. Diet pills often contain caffeine, amphetamines, or other stimulant. > > Vaping is just a nicotine delivery system, and the delivery doesn’t matter. It’s going to act as an appetite suppressant. Not technically correct. You can ‘vape’ (a term I despise, but not as much as I despise e-cigarette) w/o nicotine. I haven’t smoked in 30 yrs. But I’m looking into vaping because I’m unsuccessful at losing weight and I realize that my snacking is at night when my hands aren’t doing much of anything. I quit smoking shortly after I learned how to juggle - ie found another way to keep my hands busy. There’s no way i’d vape with nicotine, or even the really sweet flavors they have available. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2016, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/6 "2016-06-22T21:22:51Z")
> [@](#): > > my snacking is at night when my hands aren’t doing much of anything but you could be juggling, instead. I mean in theory. maybe you need another hands activity that is more sedate, for evenings. knitting comes to mind. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/7 "2016-06-24T01:26:14Z")
> [@HipGnosis](#): > > Not technically correct. You can ‘vape’ (a term I despise, but not as much as I despise e-cigarette) w/o nicotine. The OP asked about “vaping nicotine.” ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/8 "2016-06-24T01:42:07Z")
Yes, but it’s a pretty mild effect. Think of how many fat smokers you know. There are just as many fat vapers, after you adjust for age. Nicotine is a mild appetite suppressant, but it’s not a weight loss miracle. I did have a conversation with my doctor after I’d cut out the nicotine from my vaping liquid and I started slowly gaining weight. We weighed the risks and benefits of smoke free nicotine vs. even greater morbid obesity, and decided to put a bit of nicotine back in. It helped. The one benefit in the weight loss realm from vaping as opposed to smoking is that you aren’t winded all the time; exercise is easier when your lungs work. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/9 "2016-06-24T02:10:26Z")
I don’t smoke or vape, but those I know who have tried both have said it’s about the same, weight-wise. My cousin said that with vaping, you can use liquid with a higher or lower concentration of nicotine, which is one advantage it might have over smoking. I know a few people who chew nicotine gum specifically for the appetite suppressant effect. One of them has lost over a hundred pounds in the last two years, but I don’t know how much of that, if any, is because of the nicotine gum. ---
**Author:** ![spamforbrains](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@spamforbrains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spamforbrains)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/10 "2016-06-24T02:20:18Z")
Nicotine isn’t exactly benign. It appears to cause heart damage directly, may increase the risk of diabetes, and increases the risk of high blood pressure. Being a few pounds overweight may be a healthier choice. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2016, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-vaping-act-as-an-appetite-suppressant/757971/11 "2016-06-24T03:09:26Z")
> [@spamforbrains](#): > > Nicotine isn’t exactly benign. It appears to cause heart damage directly, may increase the risk of diabetes, and increases the risk of high blood pressure. Being a few pounds overweight may be a healthier choice. Being overweight causes “heart damage”, increases the risk of diabetes and increases the risk of high blood pressure. And cancer, sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, kidney disease, complications of pregnancy, osteoarthritis, and stroke. And it does so, for some of these things, at just a few pounds overweight. Talk to your doctor about your individual health risks and how to manage them. In theory, everything will kill ya.