23andMe : Looks at Data on E-Cigarette Use

By Alexa Reynoso, 23andMe Associate Scientist, Genetic Epidemiology

The use of electronic cigarettes, or vaping, is associated with several unhealthy behaviors and traits particularly among young people, according to new data from 23andMe.

But the data merely notes an association between vaping and those behaviors and traits, it's not an indication of causation. Unlike the long-established research that links smoking to cancer, disability, and death, there remains a dearth of data on the health effects of vaping. Some recent studies have linked vaping todeleterious effects on the lungs. And last year a Stanford study found an association betweenrisk for COVID-19 and vapingamong young people.

Scientists are still at the beginning of understanding the long-term health implications of e-cigarettes. At 23andMe we've only been collecting data on vaping for about a year. In the summer of 2020, our researchers added new questions to our smoking survey to account for vaping and e-cigarette use.

By looking at data we've gathered from the more than 76,000 customers who consented to participate in research and responded to our smoking survey, we were able to explore demographic and other characteristics of e-cigarette users. We were then able to compare people who vape to those who smoke just cigarettes, or who both smoke and vape (dual users), and those who don't smoke or vape at all. (Note: This is not a representative sample of the entire 23andMe population, nor is it representative of national numbers. The CDC estimates that 4.5 percent of adults in the United States vape.¹Among 23andMe research participants, only about .2 percent, or 19,000 individuals, reported being regular e-cigarette users. The sample for this research is composed only of respondents to our Smoking survey.)