Smoking is a common problem nowadays. Most youths are its victims. A wide variety of plant materials are now available that can be smoked, which include marijuana and hashish but the most commonly used is tobacco as it contains nicotine which is purely addictive, leading to stimulating and tranquilizing effects. It is widespread in India. According to researchers, tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year.
1. Heart disease
Various substances like tar and chemicals present in cigarettes build up plaque in blood vessels. This plaque slows down the blood flow, ultimately leading to blockages of arteries and veins. It further increases the risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) in which arteries to the limbs start to narrow restricting the blood flow.
PAD can also lead to :
- heart attack
- heart stroke
- chest pain
- clotting
2. Infertility
Smoking can make it difficult for a woman to get pregnant as tobacco directly affects the hormones, hampering the reproductive system. The various other effects include:
- unbalanced baby's birth weight
- the sudden death of an infant
- improper growth of the fetus
Whereas in males, it directly causes erectile dysfunction and affects the quality and quantity of sperm. You can further read the information on https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/sgr/50th-anniversary/pdfs/fs_smoking_reproduction_508.pdf.
According to a recent survey of a daily magazine, the major causes of infertility in women in today's era is a bad lifestyle that includes stress, smoking and drinking habits, insomnia, etc.
3. Type 2 diabetes
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who smoke regularly have a higher risk of developing type-2 diabetes. It causes inflammation in the body resulting in a weak immune system which can make them easily prone to illness and issues like :
- premature aging
- skin cancer
- hair loss or balding
4. Bad oral hygiene
According to a survey of CDC, active smokers have double the risk of gum diseases, including :
- pale/yellow teeth
- loose teeth
- swollen gums
- bleeding while brushing
- limit to taste or smell
you can check more information on https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/periodontal-gum-disease.html
5. Lung diseases
A person who smokes inhales nicotine and a wide variety of chemicals like tar present in it, which directly affect their lung. This increases the risk of lung cancer which is 25 times greater for men and 25.7 times greater for women. (https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/health_effects/effects_cig_smoking/index.htm)
Cigarettes can also lead to various diseases like :
- bronchitis
- asthma
- tuberculosis
- emphysema
6. Poor vision
One of the major concerns of smoking is that it causes eye problems. Studies show that cigarettes increase the risk of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts. It can also injure the retina and iris of the eye. The risk of eye damage for smokers is 2.2 times greater than for non-smokers. Other visionary problems due to smoking can be :
- color blindness
- glaucoma
- dry eyes
7. Risks of various other types of cancers
Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer found in smokers today, but smoking contributes to other dangerous types of cancer as well. They can be :
- stomach cancer
- mouth cancer
- pancreatic cancer
- throat cancer
- cervical cancer
- liver cancer
Quitting
Smoking not only affects active smokers but can also cause significant health effects on passive smokers too. So, one should stop consuming cigarettes. Quitting smoking can be challenging but not impossible. It can easily be done with the help of medicines now. And once a person quits smoking, he can see the visible benifits instantly. As nicotine is an addictive drug, one can show various withdrawal symptoms when one stops using it. All near ones should always support and encourage the one who shows such symptoms.
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