OVERVIEW:
However, smoking has been discontinued at most workplaces, shopping malls, theaters and stores. But despite, this habit still continues in the society. Most people start smoking in teenage and become addicted to it until they grow up. People have many different reasons for smoking such as curiosity, peer pressure, etc. Smoking kills people more than obesity, substance abuse, infectious diseases and traffic accidents.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
“Cigarette smoking causes more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States. This is nearly one in five deaths.”
Some of the most harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke are nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, formaldehyde, arsenic, ammonia, lead, benzene, butane, cadmium, hexamine, toluene etc. These chemicals are harmful to smokers and those around them. Tobacco is consumed in various ways including cigarette, cigar, hookah and e-cigarettes. Smoking health risks may include :
1. SMOKING CAUSES RESPIRATORY PROBLEMS:
Smoking is the major cause contributing to the development of respiratory disorders such as asthma and tuberculosis. Both active and passive smokers are at the higher risk of respiratory problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
“More than 10 times as many U.S. citizens have died prematurely from cigarette smoking than have died in all the wars fought by the United States.”
The children of those parents who smoke are also at at the higher risk of having asthma disease. Smokers also have the possibility of having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Its main symptoms may include decreased respiration, cough, phlegm production and it generally worsens over time. In addition, the carbon monoxide present in smoking enters the bloodstream and limits your oxygen-carrying capacity. It increases phlegm which causes difficulty in breathing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
“Smoking causes about 80% (or 8 out of 10) of all deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).”
To keep your lungs healthy and to prevent respiratory problems, the best remedy is to quit smoking.
2. SMOKING LEADS TO LUNG CANCER:
Cigarette smoking is the main reason for lung cancer. In the U.S.A. smoking is responsible for approximately 90 percent of lung cancer. According to a 2009 report published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, there is a strong correlation between tobacco smoking and lung cancer risk.
“Smoking causes about 90% (or 9 out of 10) of all lung cancer deaths. More women die from lung cancer each year than from breast cancer.”
Women who smoke are at a higher risk of lung cancer than men. At any age, quitting smoking can significantly reduce the risk of having lung cancer.
3. SMOKING LEADS TO DIABETES:
According to a 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, smoking is associated with the risk of type-2 diabetes. It also impairs glucose metabolism, which may be the beginning of type 2 diabetes. In addition, it increases the risk of diabetes through body mass index (BMI) independent system.
Another study published in 2012 in the Journal of Diabetes found that smoke and active smoking are associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes in women. In addition, women who smoke during pregnancy are at the increased risk of miscarriage, diabetes and the child may also be at risk of diabetes.
4. SMOKING CAUSES INFERTILITY:
Smoking is one of the reasons behind the increasing infertility rate in men and women. According to a 2010 study published in the European Society of Human Reproduction and Ambrology, smoking damages the number of male sperm and cells in fetal development.
In women, fertility rate decreases as estrogen is reduced. Pregnant women are more likely to have miscarriage or even their child may also have many health problems in later years. In addition, smoking can cause ovulation problems, which can cause damage to reproductive organs.
5. SMOKING ACCELERATES AGING PROCESS:
Smoking can speed up the normal aging process, contributing to premature wrinkles, skin inflammation and fine lines. Smoking reduces the collagen production which helps to make your skin firm and youth. So, if you have recently started smoking then think about yourself and your skin and try to get out of this condition as soon as possible.
6. SMOKING CAUSES DEMENTIA:
Both men and women who smoke are more likely to have dementia or Alzheimer’s diseases and may also experience mental decline in later years. Nicotine present in cigarettes is harmful to the brain and increases the risk of dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
More than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking. For every person who dies because of smoking, at least 30 people live with a serious smoking-related illness. In addition, smokers are more likely to develop depression, nervous disorders, or schizophrenia over time than non-smokers. According to a 2012 study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, middle-aged non-smoking men experience rapid cognitive decline.
7. SMOKING CAUSES EYE PROBLEMS:
Smokers are more likely to have vision problems such as age-related macular degeneration. Because of the individuals who smoke, the risk also may increase among the people around them. Smoking increases the risk of cataract, glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and dry-eye syndrome. Cigarette smoke includes arsenic, formaldehyde, and ammonia.
These chemicals get into the bloodstream and reach the delicate tissues of the eye, causing damage to the structure of retinal cells.
8. SMOKING CAUSES RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS:
A 2001 study published in Annals of the journal Arthritis Disease found that regular smoking increases the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. The risk is about twice as high for smokers than for non-smokers. Additionally smoking is a major cause for osteoporosis and bone fractures.
9. SMOKING EFFECTS ON WOUND HEALING:
In addition to many diseases, smokers have difficulty in healing wounds and bone fractures. Many compounds in cigarette smoke such as nicotine, tires, nitric oxide, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and aromatic amines inhibit healing through the effects of anoxia, hypoxia, vasoconstriction.
In 2007, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis reported that cigarettes damaged asthenic therapy after bone surgery. Smokers have decreased macrophages that cause treatment delays. Smoking causes damage to red blood cells, bone cells and even white blood cells, which are necessary for treatment. This can cause infection in wounds, blood clots and tissue deformities.
10. SMOKING LEADS TO HEART DISEASE:
Cigarettes contain nicotine and other toxic chemicals that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. When you smoke, harmful chemicals enter the lungs and causes an interruption of blood flow from the carotid artery to the brain, which causes stroke.
Stroke can be a cause of paralysis, partial blindness, speaking power, and even death. According to a 2010 study conducted at the University of Maryland General Clinical Research Center, the more you smoke, the greater the risk you have. In fact, smokers are three times more likely to have a stroke than non-smokers.
TAKE AWAY
Well, after knowing the given side-effects of smoking, you would definitely think about quitting this habit. First of all increase your will power and then take expert help and family support in quitting smoking and also take home remedies.
References
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- American lung association. 10 Health Effects Caused by Smoking You Didn’t Know About. Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Smokefree. Health Effects. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health.
- National heart, lung and blood institute [internet]. US Department of Health and Human Services; Smoking and Your Heart
- National Health Service. Smokefree;UK; How smoking affects your body
- The Oral Cancer Foundation. The Tobacco Connection. Boise, Idaho, US
- Brunet. The harmful effects of smoking on health and well-being. Quebec, Canada
- Better health channel. Department of Health and Human Services [internet]. State government of Victoria; Smoking – effects on your body
- Centre for Health Informatics.. National Institute of Health and Family Welfare Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking
- Smokefree. Benefits of Quitting. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; National Institutes of Health.
- American Cancer Society. Atlanta (GA), USA; https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html
- American lung association. Benefits of Quitting. Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Nicoderm. 11 Benefits of Quitting. Johnson & Johnson Inc; Canada
- American Cancer Society [internet]. Atlanta (GA), USA; https://www.cancer.org/healthy/stay-away-from-tobacco/benefits-of-quitting-smoking-over-time.html
- Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm
- Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/index.htm