Abstract
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are often used as an alternative to traditional smoking, but their effects on physical fitness, especially during exercise, are not fully understood. PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine whether repeated exposure to nicotine-containing JUUL vapor affects aerobic exercise training and performance in male Long Evans rats. METHODS: Adult male Long Evans rats (n=12) underwent an 8-week progressive treadmill training program. After 4-weeks of treadmill training (pre-exposure), the rats were divided into two groups: one exposed to JUUL vapor for 10 minutes daily (5 days/week) and a control group exposed only to air. All rats completed running endurance tests before and after the second 4-week treadmill training period, measuring total running time, distance, and peak speed. All animal protocols were approved by the SU IACUC (Protocol Stokes_0824). RESULTS: No statistically significant differences were found between the vapor-exposed and control groups in total run time (p = 0.844), distance (p = 0.980), or peak running speed (p = 0.847) using a 2 x 3 (Group x Independent Variable) Repeated Measures Model ANOVA. However, behavioral observations suggested that vapor-exposed rats showed signs of fatigue earlier and received more aversion stimuli during the running tests. CONCLUSION: Four weeks of intermittent JUUL vapor exposure did not significantly affect measured aerobic performance in rats, though subtle behavioral changes were noted. The lack of significant effects may be due to the relatively short daily exposure duration (10 minutes) and small sample size. Future studies with longer exposure duration and a larger sample size are needed to better understand the potential impact of vaping on exercise training and aerobic fitness.
Recommended Citation
Metzger, Nicole C. and Sharma, Raghav D.
(2026)
"Effects of Nicotine Containing Juul E-cigarette Vapor on Treadmill-trained Rats’ Aerobic Fitness,"
International Journal of Exercise Science: Conference Proceedings: Vol. 2:
Iss.
18, Article 179.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/ijesab/vol2/iss18/179