The latest research shows that when smokers switch to e-cigarettes, their physical health improves significantly.

Recently, a study published in the authoritative journal Scientific Reports (Science Report) showed that after smokers switched to harm-reducing products such as e-cigarettes for four weeks, their aerobic capacity and cardiopulmonary function showed significant improvement first. This research was led by the researchers from the CoEHAR (Center for Excellence in Harm Reduction) at the University of Catania in Italy. It was the first to prove that replacing combustible cigarettes with tobacco harm-reducing products can significantly improve the cardiopulmonary function of smokers.
It is known that this study used the internationally recognized physical fitness test method "Chester Step Test" to monitor the changes in the maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) of the subjects. Maximum oxygen uptake is a key indicator for measuring the maximum aerobic metabolic capacity of the human body, which is manifested as the maximum value of oxygen intake per unit time when the cardiopulmonary function and muscle oxygen uptake reach their limits.

The experimental results showed that the maximum oxygen uptake of smokers who completely quit smoking or significantly reduced their cigarette consumption was significantly improved. Similarly, after smokers switched to e-cigarettes, the same improvement effect was observed. The researchers stated that this result indicates that such harm-reducing tools like e-cigarettes have great potential in restoring human physical skills.
Professor Riccardo Polosa from the Center for Accelerated Excellence in Reducing Harm at the University of Catania in Italy said: "For smokers, improving cardiovascular health or reducing the risk of cancer is difficult, but the fact that they love fitness and want to enhance their athletic performance indicates that they have certain requirements in terms of lifestyle and quality of life. This study shows that smokers can achieve an improvement in physical function by switching to e-cigarettes."
The Center for Accelerated Excellence in Reducing Harm at the University of Catania in Italy is one of the important forces in the global research field of e-cigarettes. Since 2020, this institution has continuously conducted comparative studies on e-cigarettes and cigarettes. Its 2020 research found that for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the severity of their symptoms could be reduced by 50% after switching to e-cigarettes. In 2023, the institution's research found that e-cigarettes cause far less damage to the cardiovascular system than cigarettes. In 2025, the institution published a paper stating that cigarettes cause changes in the oral microbial community and various periodontal diseases, while e-cigarettes hardly damage the oral environment and can make teeth whiter for smokers who switch to e-cigarettes.