Will Vaping Break a Fast?

If you practise intermittent fasting, religious fasting, or fast for lifestyle or wellbeing reasons, it’s natural to wonder whether vaping might break your fast. The answer depends on why you’re fasting, but for most people, vaping does not break a fast in the traditional sense.

Let’s explain why.

What Does “Breaking a Fast” Usually Mean?

Most fasts are broken when you consume calories, trigger digestion, or cause a noticeable insulin response. This is why food, sugary drinks, and supplements typically end a fast.

Vaping is different. E-liquids are not eaten or digested, and the vapour does not meaningfully contribute calories to the body.

Does Vaping Contain Calories?

E-liquids technically contain ingredients like vegetable glycerine (VG) and propylene glycol (PG), which have calories when eaten. However, when vaped:

• They are inhaled, not consumed

• The amount absorbed is extremely small

• They do not trigger digestion

As a result, vaping does not provide usable energy to the body and is generally considered calorie-free for fasting purposes.

Intermittent Fasting & Lifestyle Fasts

For people fasting for:

• Intermittent fasting

• Weight management

• Metabolic health

• Mental clarity

Vaping is very unlikely to break your fast. It doesn’t raise blood sugar in any meaningful way, and it doesn’t stop your body remaining in a fasted state.

That said, some people notice that nicotine can slightly reduce appetite or increase alertness, which may actually make fasting feel easier — though this varies from person to person.

Religious Fasting: A Personal Decision

When it comes to religious fasts (such as Ramadan or other spiritual practices), views on vaping can differ.

Some people consider vaping acceptable because nothing is swallowed, while others prefer to avoid it out of respect for the spirit of the fast. In these cases, it’s best to follow personal belief, religious guidance, or community advice.

There isn’t a single universal answer here — intention matters.

Does Nicotine Change Anything?

Nicotine doesn’t contain calories and doesn’t break a fast nutritionally. However, it can:

• Slightly increase heart rate

• Suppress hunger

• Affect focus or alertness

For most healthy adults, these effects are mild and temporary, but if you’re fasting for mindfulness or discipline, you may prefer to vape less or choose lower-strength liquids.

The Bottom Line

So, will vaping break a fast? For most fasting types, no. Vaping does not involve eating, drinking, or calorie intake, and it doesn’t interrupt the fasted state in the way food does.

As always, fasting is personal. Whether you vape during a fast depends on your goals, beliefs, and comfort level — but from a nutritional standpoint, vaping is unlikely to break your fast.