The 20 harmful effects of tobacco on our health
A smoker dies around the world every 6 seconds. And that’s all. Tobacco, despite being legal, is one of the most physically and emotionally destructive drugs. Not only does it make us susceptible to many diseases, but it also damages our mood and changes behavior more than we realize.
When we smoke, with each inhalation we introduce into our bodies more than 7,000 different chemical substances, of which at least 250 have been shown to be harmful and toxic to human health. Of these, 69 are carcinogenic.
Therefore, smoking is directly responsible for all types of cancer, in addition to compromising the functionality of all our vital organs with its associated pathologies: arterial hypertension, heart failure, kidney damage, skin aging, lung pathologies, etc.
But to what extent does smoking harm our physical and emotional health? In today’s article, we will answer this question and, in addition to reviewing the impact on global health, we will see everything that smoking causes in our body.
How does tobacco affect global health?
Around the world, there are about 1,100 million smokers, and, as we have said, smoking kills one person every six seconds. You only need to do the math to understand that we are facing one of the greatest threats to global public health.
Given the resulting pathologies, which we will analyze later, tobacco kills 8 million people each year. Of these, 7 million are active smokers, but up to 1 million are non-smokers who die from living with someone who is passive, that is, a smoker.
One way or another, tobacco kills half of its users; out of every two smokers, one dies as a direct consequence of this tobacco. Not to mention, more than 65,000 children die each year as a result of living with parents who smoke.
As smoke-free laws become more common, and as long as tobacco is legal, those figures will only rise.And tobacco is perhaps the worst poison.
How does tobacco affect our health?
Tobacco is just as harmful, as with each inhalation of smoke, we are introducing 250 toxic chemicals directly into our lungs that not only damage these lung cells but also enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body, slowly causing damage. However, it continues to have an impact on any organ or body.knitting.
Extraordinary time is the maximum risk of developing at least one of the tobacco-related problems that we will see below.
1. Reduce oxygenation
Due to the toxins in the smoke, tobacco prevents the alveoli in the lungs, the structures that regulate gas exchange during respiration, from working properly, so we “capture” less oxygen from the air. Because of this, along with the fact that toxins prevent red blood cells from carrying as much oxygen, we are in a state of hypoxemia. Less oxygen flows through our blood, and all the cells in our body “shut down.”
2. Increases the likelihood of cancer
Tobacco use is the leading cause of the development of lung cancer, the most common and deadly form of cancer in the world, with more than 2 million new diagnoses and more than 1 million deaths. Of every 10 diagnosed cases, 9 are smokers. But it is not the only cause of lung cancer. Smokers are more likely to develop cancers of the throat, pancreas, kidneys, cervix, colorectal, esophagus, and mouth.
3. It lowers fertility
Due to the effect of toxins circulating in the blood, smoking has been shown to reduce fertility in both men and women. In men, it is also a direct cause of erectile dysfunction. And in women, it causes vaginal dryness and other problems that hinder proper sexual health.
4. Promotes the formation of blood clots
Due to the damage it causes to blood vessels, smoking greatly increases the risk of blood clots or thrombi. Of course, this makes the chances of having a heart attack or stroke much higher among smokers.
5. Causes of Hypertension
When tobacco toxins flow through our bloodstream, our heart rate increases, and therefore our blood pressure inevitably rises. And since these toxins are always present in the blood of smokers, high blood pressure never goes away. This explains why tobacco is behind many cases of cardiovascular disease, which, with its 15 million deaths, is the leading cause of death worldwide.
6. It makes you lose your senses.
Tobacco toxins also affect the nervous system, “giving drowsiness.” And it is that these substances prevent neurons from communicating properly with each other, reducing synaptic capacity, and therefore making it difficult to transmit information to the brain. This explains why smokers lose their sense of smell and taste to a greater or lesser degree.
7. Weakens blood vessels
The walls of the blood vessels are very sensitive. And if hundreds of different toxins constantly circulate in the blood, they end up weakening. The blood vessels are injured and narrowed. This, along with high blood pressure and thickening of the blood, increases the risk of clots.
8. What causes vision problems?
When we smoke and exhale the smoke, the toxins also damage our eyes. Is smoking as bad for the eyes as it is for the rest of the body?Macular degeneration and cataracts are two pathologies whose risk of occurrence is much higher in smokers and which can cause vision loss and even blindness.
9. Prevention of improper wound healing
Tobacco toxins, once they circulate in the blood, prevent platelets from working normally. This makes it harder for blood to clot when cut and makes it harder for smokers to heal wounds quickly.
10. Increases the risk of premature death
On average, smokers live 13 years less than nonsmokers. This enormous decrease in life expectancy is due to all pathologies, especially the oncological, cardiovascular, and pulmonary diseases that we are talking about.
11. Causes of breathing difficulties
Coughing, mucus, shortness of breath… Tobacco is the most harmful substance for our lungs, irritating the entire respiratory system, filling it with toxins, and preventing lung cells from working normally since the bronchi and alveoli are not narrow. It can supply enough oxygen to the blood or remove all the carbon dioxide that needs to be removed from the bloodstream.
This explains why smoking not only causes lung cancer but also other respiratory diseases such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) or lung infections, each responsible for more than 3 million deaths each year.
12. What causes bad breath?
Because of this, smoking causes bad breath.Although this does not directly affect physical health, it is a significant social problem since it interferes with the ability to relate to others.
13. Causes of yellowing of the teeth
Nicotine and tar from cigarettes accumulate on the surface of the teeth and turn them yellow. Along with bad breath, this is a major social problem.
14. It affects oral health.
Due to the accumulation of toxins in the mouth and damage to blood circulation, smoking greatly increases the risk of tooth decay or periodontitis due to pathogens that take advantage of this oral weakness to infect the teeth and gums. These pathologies, in addition to the alteration of the image level, can cause the loss of dental pieces.
15. Premature appearance favors wrinkles
The skin is one more organ of our body, and indeed, it is the largest. So obviously, you are not free from the damage that tobacco does. The toxins also compromise the functionality of the cells of the epidermis, which do not receive enough oxygen. This causes them to deteriorate faster and wrinkles to appear much sooner than genetics would have predicted.
16. Increase the risk of miscarriage.
Women who smoke, no matter how much they quit during pregnancy, have been shown to have a much higher risk of miscarriage during pregnancy. And so it is that all the toxins that circulate through your blood can cause the death of the fetus.
17. Affects bone health
Bones are still living structures in our bodies made up of cells, so despite their strong and robust appearance, they are not immune to the damage caused by tobacco toxins. Smoking has been shown to weaken bones and greatly increase the risk of conditions such as osteoporosis, which in turn makes a person more susceptible to fractures even with a minor fall or blow.
18. Is detrimental to mental health
Irritability, anxiety, stress, nervousness, sadness, difficulty concentrating, dependence… The impact of smoking on mental health cannot be underestimated. And it is that the emotional damage it causes can cause problems in all aspects of life, including work, love relationships, friends, family, and so on.
19. Increased susceptibility to infections
Tobacco toxins also affect the immune system, “numbing” the immune cells that need to detect and kill pathogens and any external threats. This loss of immune system function makes smokers more susceptible to infections, especially those of the respiratory tract, such as pneumonia.
20. Increases the risk of diabetes
Endocrine health, that is, everything related to the synthesis and transport of hormones, is also at risk from smoking. And, in fact, it has been observed that smokers have a 40% higher risk of having problems with the production or assimilation of insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels. This puts smoking at the root of many cases of type 2 diabetes.
Bibliographic references
- University of Michigan (2017), “Myths about tobacco use.” M Healthy.
- Lugones Botell, M., Ramrez Bermdez, M., Pichs Garca, LA, and Miyar Pieiga, E. (2006). “Consequences of Smoking.” Cuban Journal of Hygiene and Epidemiology
- Martn Ruiz, A., Rodrguez Gómez, I., Rubio, C., et al. (2004), “Toxic effects of tobacco.” Toxicology Magazine.