How Do Cigarettes Affect The Body?

How Do Cigarettes Affect The Body?

It's no secret that cigarettes are detrimental to our health. We've been aware of the dangers of smoking for decades. However, understanding precisely how cigarettes harm us is crucial. Let's delve into the journey of their ingredients through our bodies and explore the physical benefits of giving up smoking.

Each time we inhale, smoke introduces over 5,000 chemical substances to our body's tissues. From the onset, tar, a black, resinous material, coats the teeth and gums, damaging tooth enamel and leading to decay over time. The smoke also affects nerve-endings in the nose, causing a loss of smell. Within the airways and lungs, smoke damages cilia, tiny hairlike structures responsible for keeping the airways clean. This damage increases the likelihood of infections, bronchitis, and emphysema. The smoke fills the alveoli, tiny air sacs vital for oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange between the lungs and blood. Carbon monoxide, a toxic gas in the smoke, enters the blood, binding to hemoglobin and displacing oxygen, causing oxygen deprivation and shortness of breath. In a mere 10 seconds, nicotine, a powerful stimulant, reaches the brain, triggering the release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters, creating the pleasurable sensations that make smoking highly addictive. Smoking also causes blood vessel constriction and damages their delicate lining, restricting blood flow. These vascular effects thicken blood vessel walls and increase blood platelet stickiness, raising the risk of clots, heart attacks, and strokes. Moreover, many of the cigarette's chemicals can lead to dangerous mutations in the body's DNA, promoting the formation of cancers.

Notably, ingredients like arsenic and nickel may interfere with DNA repair processes, compromising the body's ability to fight cancer. Smoking accounts for approximately one-third of all cancer deaths in the United States, impacting various tissues, organs, eyesight, and bone health. It hinders fertility in women and causes erectile dysfunction in men.

However, those who quit smoking reap tremendous physical benefits, both immediate and long-lasting. Just 20 minutes after the last cigarette, heart rate and blood pressure begin to normalize. After 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels stabilize, improving blood's oxygen-carrying capacity. Within a day of quitting, heart attack risk starts decreasing, and blood pressure and heart rates return to normal. Smell and taste sensations recover within two days, and after about one month, the lungs become healthier, with reduced coughing and breathlessness. The cilia in the airways and lungs start recovering within weeks and fully restore after 9 months, enhancing resistance to infection. On the one-year mark of quitting, the risk of heart disease drops significantly as blood vessel function improves. At the five-year milestone, the likelihood of clot formation dramatically declines, and the risk of stroke continues to decrease. After a decade of being smoke-free, the chances of developing fatal lung cancer drop by 50%, likely because the body's DNA repair ability is restored. At the remarkable 15-year mark, the likelihood of coronary heart disease matches that of a non-smoker.

Quitting smoking is undeniably challenging and can cause anxiety and depression due to nicotine withdrawal. However, the good news is that this usually is temporary. Thanks to an increasing arsenal of tools, quitting is becoming more manageable. Nicotine replacement therapies, such as gum, patches, lozenges, and sprays, can help ease the transition by stimulating nicotine receptors in the brain without adding harmful chemicals. Counselling, support groups, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and moderate exercise are also effective in helping smokers stay cigarette-free. Embracing the journey to quit smoking sets both you and your body on the path back to health.

Joint pain and inflammation troubling you? Well, if you're a smoker, you might be at a higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA). What's more, RA medications may not be as effective for smokers, though scientists are still uncertain about the reasons behind this.

But the concerns don't end there. Smoking takes a toll on your skin's youthful appearance. The aging process speeds up, leading to premature wrinkles. In fact, the skin of a 40-year-old smoker can resemble that of a nonsmoking individual aged 70. Unfortunately, this damage is irreversible and can exacerbate various skin conditions, including skin cancer.

Your oral health is not spared either. Smoking contributes significantly to gum disease, causing tender, bleeding gums, painful chewing, and persistent bad breath. In fact, gum disease is the leading cause of tooth loss, and smokers are twice as likely to experience it. The more one smokes, the greater the risk.

For male smokers, the implications extend to erectile dysfunction (ED). Studies show that male smokers are more likely to suffer from ED, and the severity of the condition tends to worsen with continued smoking. On top of that, male smokers are also at a higher risk of developing testicular cancer.

As for female smokers, the risks include an increased likelihood of cervical cancer.

It's clear that smoking can have a devastating impact on various aspects of health, from joint health and skin appearance to oral and sexual health. Considering these risks, quitting smoking can significantly improve your overall well-being and reduce the chances of developing these health complications.