Mental fog: Kids who start vaping before age 14 are more likely to struggle with concentration, memory, and decision-making, study finds
- Studies show a link between vaping and mental fog in both adults and children
- Symptoms include difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
- Those who take up the habit before the age of 14 are most at risk
- Suggests that vaping should not be considered a safe alternative to tobacco smoking
Vaping can be just as harmful to the brains of young people as smoking tobacco, according to new research.
Both teens and adults who use e-cigarettes are more likely to focus, remember, or make decisions, US scientists say.
However, the risk of mental ‘blurriness’ further increases for those who accept the habit before the age of 14.
“Our studies add to the growing evidence that vaping should not be considered a safe alternative to tobacco smoking,” said the study’s lead author, Profess Dongmei Li of the University of Rochester, New York.
Both teens and adults who use e-cigarettes are more likely to have problems concentrating, remembering, or making decisions (stock)
The analysis of more than 900,000 people in the US is the first to investigate an association previously suggested in animal experiments.
It showed that those who vaped and smoked were most susceptible – followed by those who did one thing or the other.
Mental function problems were significantly higher in these groups than in their non-vaping and non-smoking peers.
In addition, children who started vaping between the ages of eight and 13 were even more vulnerable than children who started from the age of 14 or older.
Mental function problems were found to be significantly higher in people who vape or smoked than their non-vaping and non-smoking peers
“With the recent increase in teen vaping, this is very concerning and suggests that we need to act even sooner,” said Prof Li.
“Prevention programs that start in middle or high school may be too late.”
Nicotine is called ‘brain poison’ for young people.
Adolescence is a critical period for brain development, especially for higher order mental functions such as attention, learning and memory.
This means that children and teens may be more susceptible to nicotine-induced brain changes, explains Prof. Li.
E-cigarettes provide as much or even more nicotine than cigarettes, despite the lack of many other dangerous substances found in tobacco, she said.
Flavors such as mango, mint, strawberry and vanilla mask the harsh taste.
The activity of neurons in key areas of gray matter that mature into the mid-1920s is known to change.
Prof Li’s team collected data on more than 18,000 participants in the National Youth Tobacco Survey and more than 886,000 adults from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System telephone survey.
Both were asked similar questions about smoking and vaping habits, as well as problems with memory, attention, and mental function.
A link between vaping and mental function was clearly identified – although what comes first is less clear.
It’s possible that exposure to nicotine from vaping causes problems with mental function, Prof Li said.
On the other hand, people who report “ mental fog ” are simply more likely to smoke or vape – possibly self-medicate.
Prof Li and colleagues say further studies tracking children and adults over time are needed to get to the bottom of the ’cause and effect’.
Previous research has shown that nicotine-induced changes in the brain during adolescence can be permanent.
The damage can lead to long-term effects on the ability to make decisions and can also increase the risk of addiction to other substances.
Last year, a study found that vaping damages the heart, lungs and blood vessels, including those that feed the brain.
The latest findings have been published in the magazines Tobacco Induced Diseases and PLOS One.