Contrary to Popular Belief, Cigarettes Damage the Body in Minutes, Not Years.

Tobacco grown and harvested is dried and cut, then processed into various products including dip, snuff, and cigarettes. Cigarettes are paper-rolled and available in filtered and non-filtered versions. The greatest toxicity of cigarettes stems from the smoke inhaled after lighting the non-filter end of the product. The chemicals contained in the smoke have been counted for years as technology has advanced and have recently been quoted as stretching above 5,000 with over 40 of those chemicals known to be cancer-causing. Previously noted, it would take years before damage to the body would occur by smoking. However, a recent study published in Cancer Research in Toxicology shows that chemicals which cause cancer form rapidly after smoking.

The long term effect of smoking including heart disease, lung disease, stroke, and a long list of cancers, among others, is well Continue Reading

In a study published in British Medical Journal (BMJ 2011; 343:d5506), it is projected that 40 million smokers could die from Tuberculosis (TB) by 2050.

Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection that primarily infects the lungs, but can spread to other organs in the body. TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is contracted by breathing in the air droplets from a cough or sneeze of an infected person.

Smokers are twice as likely to contract tuberculosis and die from the infection than non-smokers. According to the study, many of the new TB cases anticipated before 2050 will be in Africa, eastern Mediterranean, and southeast Asian regions. In those areas of the world, there is a high populous and living conditions are not always sanitary. A high population in regions where medical care Continue Reading

According to a news release August 29, 2011 by the European Society of Cardiology, Women who smoke suffer increased damage to arteries over their male counterparts.

Researchers utilized ultrasound to assess the carotid arteries of men and women in Finland, Sweden, France, Italy, and the Netherlands. The study was comprised of 1,893 women and 1,694 men.

As presented, the study concluded that atherosclerosis, a thickening of the arterial walls, was present in both genders of smokers. However, for women, the thickening of the arteries in the neck that carry oxygenated blood to the brain was more than five times greater than in men.

The association of atherosclerosis and smoking was independent of other risk factors including:

• cholesterol
• obesity
• age
• blood pressure
• social class Continue Reading