What does tobacco smoke do to you?

Introduction  

The toxic chemicals in tobacco smoke can reach your brain, heart and other organs within a few seconds of smoking. It damages all body parts and increases your risk of various diseases. Smoking also affects your appearance, emotions, finances, and immediate circle. 

Chemicals in Tobacco  

Cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco are created from dried tobacco leaves and other substances are added for flavour and to make smoking more pleasant.  

All chemicals in tobacco products can be detrimental to your health. The smoke from these products is produced by burning tobacco and its additives.  

• Nicotine  
• Carbon monoxide  
• Tar 
• Tiny particles 
• Ammonia and formaldehyde 
• Tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs) 
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) 

Lung Damage 

Smoking causes irreversible lung damage and tissue loss and is linked with the risk of developing lung cancer.  

Damage to the respiratory system can also make you more vulnerable to certain infections, like tuberculosis and pneumonia, that affect the lungs and increase the chances of death from those illnesses. 

Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of developing a chronic cough, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and magnified asthma attacks. 

Heart Disease 

Smoking can harm your heart, blood vessels, cells, or cardiovascular system. Smoking increases the risk of blood clots, resulting in low blood circulation to the heart, brain or legs. 

Smoking tobacco may raise your risk for cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis, peripheral artery disease (PAD), coronary heart disease, and abdominal aortic aneurysm. 

The chemicals and tar present in cigarettes can increase a person’s risk of atherosclerosis. Plaque growth in the blood vessels limits blood flow and causes dangerous blockages. 

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is when your arteries to the arms and legs narrow, limiting blood flow. Research shows an immediate link between smoking and developing PAD.  

Fertility Problems 

Your reproductive health will be severely affected by smoking tobacco. It negatively affects sex hormone production in males and females, leading to decreased sexual desire. 

In males, smoking can affect the DNA in the sperm and hence reduce fertility. Smoking many times can increase the risk of erectile dysfunction.  

In females, smoking tobacco can affect hormone levels, result in damage to the reproductive system and make it more complicated to become pregnant.  

Smoking tobacco can affect pregnancy and the unborn baby in many ways, including low birth weight, damage to the infant’s lungs, brain, and central nervous system, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and Ectopic pregnancy.  

Type 2 Diabetes  

 If you have diabetes and smoke, you are in more danger because you may face worse complications than people who have diabetes and don’t smoke. 

Active smoking increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes and its complications by 30% to 40% compared to non-smokers. 

Smoking may make your body more susceptible to insulin, resulting in higher blood sugar levels. This is because the chemicals in cigarettes damage cells in your body and lead to inflammation.  

Immune System 

Smoking makes your body less successful at fighting disease. 

Your immune system protects you from diseases and infections, from the common cold to life-threatening illnesses such as cardiovascular disease.  

A single cigarette smoke contains approximately 7,000 chemical compounds, which can deteriorate your immune system, stopping it from working correctly. As a result, some diseases have the chance to develop and progress, putting your health and well-being at significant risk. 

Vision  

Smoking can damage vital parts of your eyes required for maintaining clear eyesight and vision. 

Many studies show smoking raises the risk of age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and dry Eye Syndrome. 

Oral Hygiene 

Did you know that smoking can increase your risk of developing gum disease? Active smokers tend to produce more bacterial plaque, which is a leading cause of gum disease. Smoking also reduces the amount of oxygen in your bloodstream, making it harder for infected gums to heal correctly. 

Smoking accelerates dental plaque and causes gum disease to worsen more rapidly than in non-smokers. Gum disease is still the most prevalent cause of tooth loss in adults.  

 Smoking causes gum disease, tooth loss, tooth staining, and, in more extreme cases, mouth cancer. 

Integumentary system 

The integumentary system comprises your skin, hair, and nails. Smoking tobacco can negatively affect your skin and hair. A person who smokes may experience early ageing and wrinkled skin.  

The long-term effects of smoking are dry skin, deeper facial wrinkles, baggy eyes, furrows, saggy jawline and uneven skin pigmentation. 

People who smoke also have a higher risk of skin cancer, especially on the lips. Tobacco smoke can make the hair and skin smell like tobacco. It can eventually result in hair loss and balding.  

Cancers 

Out of thousands of chemicals in cigarette smoke, hundreds are identified as harmful toxins, and more than 65 are known to cause cancer. Carcinogens are substances present in cigarettes, and direct exposure to them can cause cancer. 

Cigarette smoking can cause cancer almost anywhere on the body and is the number one reason behind causing lung cancer.  

Smoking tobacco is likely to cause many other types of cancer, namely bladder cancer, kidney cancer, laryngeal and hypopharyngeal cancer, colorectal cancer, oesophagal cancer, liver cancer, cervical cancer, oral and pancreatic cancer and oropharyngeal cancer. 

Digestive System 

Smoking leads to many common digestive system disorders, including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), heartburn, peptic ulcers, and a few liver diseases. It also raises the risk of Crohn’s disease, pancreatitis, colon polyps and gallstones.  

Central Nervous System 

Nicotine damages the central nervous system by increasing blood pressure and heart rate, eventually weakening these organs. 

The adverse effects of nicotine can be easily recognized when smokers undergo the cessation period. Intense mood swings, anxiety and depression, and diminished cognitive abilities are all the impacts of nicotine deficiency. 

Second-Hand Smoke 

Second-hand smoke exposure happens when people inhale smoke exhaled by people who smoke or from burning tobacco products like cigarettes, cigars, hookahs, or pipes. 

There is no safe point of exposure to second-hand smoke; even limited exposure can lead to serious health problems and be deadly. Eliminating smoking is the only solution to protect non-smokers from second-hand smoke exposure fully. 

Quitting Smoking  

All smokers can quit. Quitting smoking lowers many of the health-related risks. It comes with both short and long-term advantages; most importantly, finding and following a way to quit can help you live a longer, healthier, happier life. 

Why Quit Smoking? 

There are many reasons to quit smoking; find out your reason. Finding your cause can motivate you to go through the quitting process steadily. 

Know Your Triggers 

Be aware of the situations and emotions that trigger a desire to smoke. This awareness can help you to quit.  

Quitting methods 

There are many quitting methods, and a few of them include Going cold turkey. 

Make a quit plan 

Building your strategy for quitting can be very useful. You can use many online quit plans and websites to quit smoking. 

Conclusion 

Tobacco smoke has significant implications for the overall health of smokers and non-smokers globally.  

Raising awareness to potential consumers to not consume tobacco and supporting consumers in their journey to quit is the need of the hour. 

FAQ