How Smoking Affects the Body

The inhalation of tobacco smoke causes an incredible amount of strain and malfunction within the human physiology. Just one cigarette leaves a significant amount of residue, or tar, in the lungs. A human being who smokes 1 pack of cigarettes each day for a year can accumulate the equivalent of one full quart of tar inside their lungs!

By smoking on a regular basis, you are depriving your body of a significant amount of the oxygen it requires to function on a normal, healthy level. But this is only the beginning.

The following sections will illustrate briefly some of the specific effects of tobacco smoke on the different systems of the human body.

Beyond Lung Cancer and Emphysema

It�s obvious that smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer and emphysema. Both of these afflictions are horrible, and often result in an absolutely miserable death.

But did you realize that tobacco smoke is a common factor in nearly all forms of cancer? It�s true.

Medical researchers from around the world have found that smokers are far more likely to develop cancer of the mouth and throat, bladder, kidney, liver, stomach, and pancreas. Smoking is also a known catalyst for breast cancer, cervical cancer, esophageal cancer, and leukemia.

Effects On Your Heart and Blood Vessels

Within one minute of inhaling tobacco smoke, your heart rate will rise, and can increase by up to 30% within ten minutes. This alone significantly raises your risk of heart attack.

Carbon Monoxide in cigarette smoke impairs the ability of your circulatory system to transport oxygen via the blood. This causes atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, and can lead to any number of complications, from chronic fatigue to heart attack or stroke.

Smoking can also increase the level of low-density lipoprotein (or �bad�) cholesterol, while decreasing the level of high-density lipoprotein (or �good�) cholesterol within the blood. This poses yet another increase in your chances of suffering a heart attack or stroke.

Smoking also raises the levels of fibrinogen, a protein which causes blood to clot, and increases platelet production. This can lead to the clogging of arteries, which in turn can lead to heart attack or stroke.

In addition to the very increased risk of heart attack and stroke, smokers are up to 16 times more likely to suffer from an aneurysm. An aneurysm is the ballooning of a blood vessel wall that usually leads to a clot or rupture of the vessel.

Smoking Damages the Central Nervous System

Our brains require an unobstructed flow of blood, and a continual supply or oxygen to function properly. Clearly the body�s ability to fulfill this requirement is diminished considerably by regular smoking.

Also, the electrical and chemical process by which the brain relays messages throughout the central nervous system is seriously disrupted by the numerous toxic chemicals inhaled through cigarette smoke. Research has demonstrated that smoking can alter, disrupt, and damage the structure and function of the human brain.

Sexual Side Effects

Smoking increases the chance of erectile dysfunction by nearly 50% in men between 30 and 40 years of age. This is due to both decreased circulation of blood and oxygen, and to the negative impact of things like rat poison and bug killers on the natural process of human hormone function.

Other Great Benefits of Being a Smoker

And let�s not forget about these less destructive but still unpleasant side effects of tobacco smoke:

• Your hands, hair, and clothes smell awful
• You are more prone to sinus problems
• You have far less energy than you would if you didn�t smoke
• You could develop vision problems
• Your immune system is weakened considerably
• You look like a complete idiot standing there on the sidewalk smoking a substance that, let�s face it, is probably going to kill you if you don�t quit.

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