According to the American Lung Association, cigarettes contain about 600 ingredients which burn to generate over 7000 chemicals, many of which are poisonous. At least 69 of these chemicals are carcinogenic (cancer-causing) and others lead to several health complications which can have devastating long-term effects on the various organ systems. Tobacco itself contains harmful substances like nicotine, acetone, tar and carbon monoxide that can affect nearly every organ in the body.
Here are some of the ways in which the habit of smoking can affect your health:
Cancer
Smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere in your body, although it is most likely to happen in your lungs. If you have a smoking habit, it immediately makes you ~25 times more likely than a non-smoker to develop lung cancer.
Smokers are also at a of contracting 14 other cancers including cancers of the mouth, pharynx (upper throat), larynx (voice box), oesophagus (food pipe), nose, sinuses, liver, pancreas, stomach, kidney, bowel, bladder, ovary, cervix, and even (some types of) leukaemia.
Respiratory Damage
Apart from increasing your risk of lung cancer, smoking can also impact your lungs in a number of other ways. The primary damage is caused to the airways and air sacs (known as alveoli) in the lungs. Smoking also triggers attacks in patients with asthma. It can also make each attack worse than usual.
If you are a smoker, you are 12-13 times more likely to die from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in comparison to non-smokers. Smoking can also cause other diseases like pneumonia, emphysema, chronic bronchitis and tuberculosis.
Heart Disease
Irrespective of the number of cigarettes you smoke a day, smoking puts you at a great risk of heart disease. If accompanied by other health conditions like unhealthy blood cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, overweight or obesity, the risk is drastically higher.
Tobacco causes harm to the structure and functioning of blood vessels and also damages the functioning of your heart by narrowing the arteries, increasing blood pressure and heart rate. Coronary heart disease (CHD) occurs through the plaque build-up in the coronary arteries. Over time, this can cause chest pain, heart attack, heart failure, arrhythmias, stroke and even death.
Brain Changes
Nicotine, when inhaled, moves from the lungs into the bloodstream and up to your brain – all within a matter of seconds. This triggers some sensations of pleasure but this is rather short-lived because smokers tend to feel agitated the moment the level of nicotine in the blood drops down. This agitation causes the urge to smoke again, causing an addiction. A nicotine addiction is one of the most challenging to wean away from because, in a way, the brain is changed by the tobacco. It even develops extra nicotine receptors to accommodate the large doses of nicotine.
Infertility
Smoking affects sperm count in men, reducing their fertility. Women who smoke may also find it harder to become pregnant.
Smoking in both men and women can affect the baby’s health and lead to birth defects or even cause miscarriage.
Other Problems
Smoking also affects the hygiene and health of your teeth and gums, sometimes even causing tooth loss. It also affects bone health and lowers the overall effectiveness of your immune system.
References:
- https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/smoking-and-your-heart
- https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm
- https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/smoking-and-cancer/how-smoking-causes-cancer
- https://smokefree.gov/quit-smoking/why-you-should-quit/health-effects
