Health Risks of Cigarette Smoking
May 13, 2009
We all have heard it many times that Cigarette smoking is injurious to health. But how many times have we really shown enough concern towards our health and resolved to quit smoking if we are active smokers. The primary reason for being so neglectful towards our health is the lack of knowledge about various health risks that are caused by cigarette smoking.
Do you know that there are around 4000 chemicals in cigarettes, with around 200 of them being extremely toxic. And when we smoke, not only is the active smoker inhaling these toxic chemicals, but he is also risking the health of the people surrounding him, known as passive smokers. Now the toxic chemicals in cigarettes like Nicotine, Carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, etc. travel through our body and cause damage to our organs in several ways. Here we will discuss the 3 major health risks of smoking.
1. Heart Diseases:
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of heart diseases to a large extent. This is so because the chemicals of the cigarette when act with our blood, it begins to clot. This causes problems in smooth flow of blood through our body and increases blood pressure. The risk of occurrence of heart attack in individuals increases with the number of cigarettes they smoke on a daily basis. The more they smoke, the more the risk and lesser the life expectancy. Cigarette smoking has been the leading cause for premature deaths in the United States.
2. Lung Cancer:
As said earlier, the toxic chemicals are consumed by our body and when they act with the internal cells of our body, the cell structure undergoes some change. One of the major ill effects of this phenomenon is Lung Cancer, which is caused when the chemicals act with the lung cells and cause them to grow abnormally. The abnormal growth of the lung cells can be so threatening that the growth can get out of control leading to the bursting of the lungs, thus causing immediate death.
3. Oral Cancer:
Due to the continuous inhalation of the cigarette smoke, our lips, mouth, tongue, teeth can be affected adversely. Consistent smoking leads to the irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and also causes chronic irritation. Due to this, the lips appear dry and black in color. The teeth starts showing stains and the individual develops chronic cough, making it difficult for him to breath normally.
There are many more ill-effects of smoking other than the above mentioned ones. But the ones mentioned above are the most common ones and the most preventable ones as well. So stop smoking and enjoy a healthy life for yourself and the ones surrounding you.
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