How does smoking affect health?

Smoking is a danger to health; tobacco smoke contains many dangerous components and chemicals that destroy the organs and the body. Smoking can cause many complications and long-term consequences, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, glaucoma, problems with blood clotting, chronic bronchitis, diabetes, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts, and others. It also worsens existing problems like asthma and increases the risk of developing other diseases like pneumonia, tuberculosis, and other respiratory infections. Besides this, it causes inflammation and worsens the functioning of the immune system, damaging teeth, gums, the tongue, and the senses of smell and taste.

More than 7000 chemicals are found in tobacco smoke, of which 250 have been proven to be damaging; of these, at least 69 can cause cancer.

Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the world; the mortality rate of smokers is about three times higher in smokers than in those who have never smoked.

Smoking makes getting pregnant less likely, increases the risk of a miscarriage, increases the risk of the baby being born with an abnormally low body weight, and increases the risk of the baby dying of sudden infant death syndrome. In men, smoking increases the risk of erectile dysfunction.

The longer the person smokes, the higher the risk of the consequences; still, no matter the age, smokers can drastically lower the risks of diseases, including cancer, by quitting.

Passive smoking (or secondhand smoke) means inhaling tobacco smoke not through a cigarette but the smoke it gives off while being lit or the smoke exhaled by a smoker. Passive smoking causes lung cancer in nonsmokers; some research suggests that living with a smoker increases the risk of lung cancer in a nonsmoker by up to 20 – 30%.

Smoking causes a high degree of addiction, primarily because of the presence of nicotine. Addiction to nicotine products is like being addicted to more complex psychoactive substances. The amount of nicotine depends on the specific product, but companies design cigarettes and tobacco products with the intent to create addiction. You can read more about addiction to psychoactive substances, including tobacco, here (link).

All forms of tobacco are harmful and cause addiction: cigarettes, cigars, pipes, hookahs, nicotine pouches, and the like.

Quitting smoking can have many health benefits, of which some can be noticed immediately:

• Blood pressure and blood glucose return to normal.
• Carbon monoxide blood levels begin to drop.
• In a few weeks, circulation improves, and there is less coughing.
• In a few months, better lung function can be expected.
• In a few years, cancer risks, cardiovascular diseases, and other chronic diseases will decrease.

The long-term benefits are the reduced risks of chronic deadly diseases which smoking brings. People who quit smoking, no matter what their age, have significantly better life expectancy compared to those who don’t. The sooner one quits smoking, the better the benefits and lower the risks will be.

There are different ways to quit: cold turkey, using nicotine replacement therapy, using medication, using lifestyle changes like physical activity and psychotherapy to break bad habits.

If you want to quit smoking, you can seek help from your doctor or other healthcare professionals and apply for programs. People manage to quit in different ways. It is important to stay determined and resilient and to have the support of your surroundings.

This text is intended for informational purposes only. If you experience any symptoms, it is recommended that you seek advice from your doctor or a qualified healthcare professional.

Aslam, S. P., Leslie, S. W., & Morris, J. (2024, August 8). Nicotine addiction and smoking: health effects and interventions. StatPearls - NCBI Bookshelf. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537066/

Harms of cigarette smoking and health benefits of quitting. (2017, December 19). Cancer.gov. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/tobacco/cessation-fact-sheet