Why cigarettes are harmful

Maybe that's because more and more people have learned that smoking and tobacco use can cause cancer and heart disease. But sometimes kids can't really think that far into the future to worry about an illness they might not get for many years.

Tobacco say: tuh-BA-ko is a plant that can be smoked in cigarettes, pipes, or cigars. It's the same plant that's in smokeless tobacco, known as dip, chew, snuff, spit, or chewing tobacco. Smokeless tobacco is not lit or inhaled like tobacco in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Instead, smokeless tobacco is put between the lip and gum and sucked on inside the mouth.

Tobacco contains nicotine say: NIH-kuh-teen , a chemical that causes a tingly or pleasant feeling — but that feeling only lasts for a little while. Nicotine is also addictive say: uh-DIK-tiv. That means that if you start to use nicotine, your body and mind will become so used to it that you'll need to have it just to feel OK. Anyone who starts smoking could become addicted to it. If you're addicted to something, it's very hard to stop doing it, even if you want to.

Some kids get addicted right away. And adults are often addicted, which is why so many of them have a hard time quitting smoking.

Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco kill hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. In fact, each day people die from smoking alone. The nicotine and other poisonous chemicals in tobacco cause lots of diseases, like heart problems and some kinds of cancer.

If you smoke, you hurt your lungs and heart each time you light up. It also can make it more difficult for blood to move around in the body, so smokers may feel tired and cranky. The longer you smoke, the worse the damage becomes. People can significantly reduce their chance of smoking-related disease by giving it up. Smoking is the leading preventable cause of early disease and death in the United States.

Giving up smoking is difficult for many people, but the number of former smokers is increasing all the time. The number of smokers who have quit is also rising. In this article, we look at the health impact of smoking, including its effects on the brain, heart, lungs, and immune system. We also discuss the benefits of quitting. Every year, more than , people die in the U.

They also state that around half of people in the U. Life expectancy is at least 10 years less for smokers compared with nonsmokers. The American Cancer Society state that smoking shortens lifespan by about 12 years in males and 11 years in females. The CDC comment that smoking causes more deaths in the U.

While the statistics are alarming, it is important to bear in mind that giving up smoking reduces the risk of disease dramatically. Smoking can increase the likelihood of having a stroke by 2—4 times. Strokes can cause brain damage and death. One way that stroke can cause brain injury is through a brain aneurysm , which occurs when the wall of a blood vessel weakens and creates a bulge.

This bulge can burst and cause a subarachnoid hemorrhage , which can lead to a stroke. Smoking causes atherosclerosis , which is when plaque builds up in the blood and sticks to the artery walls.

This makes them narrower, reducing blood flow and increasing the risk of blood clots. Smoking also damages the blood vessels, making them thicker and narrower. This makes it harder for blood to flow, and also increases blood pressure and heart rate. Even smokers who smoke 5 or fewer cigarettes a day may develop early signs of cardiovascular disease. Carbon monoxide and nicotine make the heart work harder and faster. This means that smoking makes it more challenging to exercise.

A lack of exercise further increases the risk of health problems. According to the National Institutes of Health NIH , smoking reduces bone density, making the bones weaker and more brittle. Smoking can also impair bone healing after a fracture. Researchers find it difficult to say whether this is a direct effect of smoking, or due to other risk factors prevalent in people who smoke. These include lower body weight and doing less physical exercise.

This may affect females more than males. Females are more prone to osteoporosis and broken bones. According to one study , smoking reduces immune function and causes inflammation in the body. This can lead to autoimmune conditions, including:. Smoking also has links with type 2 diabetes.

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Infectious Agents. On This Page What harmful chemicals does tobacco smoke contain? What are some of the health problems caused by cigarette smoking?

What are the risks of tobacco smoke to nonsmokers? Is smoking addictive?