A recent study carried out by the University of California has discovered that people who vape regularly could be doubling their risk of a heart attack.

In fact, the new research - published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine - also suggests that those who smoke regular tobacco cigarettes are less likely to have a heart attack than those who vape.

The researchers claim that tobacco smokers are three times more likely than non-smokers to have a heart attack whereas vapers are an astonishing five times more likely.

"We're the first people to show a long term impact of e-cigarettes, and given that it's consistent with what we know biologically about how vaping effects the heart, we wanted to get this out there," Stanton Glantz, the lead author of the study told Business Insider.

The study also found that people who vaped and smoked were most at risk. And according to Glantz, most people who vape are also regular tobacco smokers.

"E-cigarettes are widely promoted as a smoking cessation aid but for some, they actually make it harder to quit, so most people end up doing both," Glantz said. "This is the dominant use."

The groundbreaking findings seem to contradict widely-held beliefs that e-cigarette use - which involves inhaling vaporized liquid nicotine - is less harmful than inhaling tobacco smoke.

Puffing on e-cigs means inhaling toxic metals such as lead and potentially becoming addicted to nicotine.

So, while the devices are often marketed as tools to help smokers quit smoking cigarettes, they're not exactly a harm-free alternative.

Ana Rule, a professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University, said that companies responsible for e-cigs fail to address "the increased risk to this huge market they are creating among teenagers and young adults that never have smoked, and would have never even considered smoking" had they not vaped.

Evidently, more research still needs to be conducted into vaping and the health risks it poses.

The findings of this particular study are by no means conclusive. The researchers could not prove that vaping caused heart attacks - just that they were linked.

A recent study carried out by the University of California has discovered that people who vape regularly could be doubling their risk of a heart attack.

In fact, the new research - published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine - also suggests that those who smoke regular tobacco cigarettes are less likely to have a heart attack than those who vape.

The researchers claim that tobacco smokers are three times more likely than non-smokers to have a heart attack whereas vapers are an astonishing five times more likely.

"We're the first people to show a long term impact of e-cigarettes, and given that it's consistent with what we know biologically about how vaping effects the heart, we wanted to get this out there," Stanton Glantz, the lead author of the study told Business Insider.

The study also found that people who vaped and smoked were most at risk. And according to Glantz, most people who vape are also regular tobacco smokers.

"E-cigarettes are widely promoted as a smoking cessation aid but for some, they actually make it harder to quit, so most people end up doing both," Glantz said. "This is the dominant use."

The groundbreaking findings seem to contradict widely-held beliefs that e-cigarette use - which involves inhaling vaporized liquid nicotine - is less harmful than inhaling tobacco smoke.

Puffing on e-cigs means inhaling toxic metals such as lead and potentially becoming addicted to nicotine.

So, while the devices are often marketed as tools to help smokers quit smoking cigarettes, they're not exactly a harm-free alternative.

Ana Rule, a professor of environmental health and engineering at Johns Hopkins University, said that companies responsible for e-cigs fail to address "the increased risk to this huge market they are creating among teenagers and young adults that never have smoked, and would have never even considered smoking" had they not vaped.

Evidently, more research still needs to be conducted into vaping and the health risks it poses.

The findings of this particular study are by no means conclusive. The researchers could not prove that vaping caused heart attacks - just that they were linked.