Actress Jennifer Lawrence (of "The Hunger Games" trilogy and the "X-Men" series) has been photographed smoking cigarettes and marijuana, as well as vaping. That's the trifecta of lung-damaging, life-shortening puffs.
According to a trio of new studies, ditching cigarettes for vaping or marijuana isn't eliminating toxic chemicals or significantly reducing your higher risk of heart disease.
One study published in the journal EClinicalMedicine found that both tobacco and marijuana smokers had potentially health-damaging levels of smoke-related toxic chemicals such as naphthalene, acrylamide, and acrylonitrile metabolites in their blood and urine.
These chemicals are known to cause everything from cataracts to increased risk of cardiovascular disease and damage to the lungs, skin, and eyes.
Another study published in the journal Circulation found that trying to reduce your cigarette use by also vaping didn't reduce your risk from inhaled toxins.
Participants who used cigarettes and electronic cigarettes had the same levels of inflammatory and oxidative stress biomarkers as those who smoked only tobacco cigarettes — giving the same increased risk for cardiovascular disease and premature death.
The third study found that vaping and smoking tobacco clouds your thoughts — and we know marijuana does too.
According to researchers from the University of Rochester Medical Center, people who smoke and vape, regardless of their age, are at greatest risk for problems concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
Those who only vape or only smoke were found to struggle with mental fog almost as much as combination smokers do.
No matter what you puff, it's smart to stop. Check out www.smokefree.gov; look into cognitive-behavioral therapy, and visit Freedom from Smoking Plus at www.lung.org/quit-smoking.