Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of e-cigarette use on the risk of developing an eating disorder.

Research suggests that as with smoking, adolescent vaping is associated with a variety of mental health problems. However, the relationship is not one of simple cause and effect as poor mental health can drive nicotine use while nicotine use can aggravate poor mental health.

The Government is already funding, via the National Institute for Health and Care Research, the Eating Disorders Genetic Initiative study, jointly led with Kings College London and eating disorder charity, Beat, which aims to better understand what may lead to an eating disorder and how to improve treatments aimed at improving the lives of patients.