Smoking has become common among many people universally, including young adults. For instance, many college students are using tobacco due to peer pressure and lack of information about its dangers. Moreover, smoking a cigarette has become a part of leisure, more so to the youth. Although many young people smoke marijuana, it is not commonly used as cigarettes. Some countries such as India and China have many smokers, which has led to several cases of respiratory diseases in the country. Smoking tobacco is related to many negatives effects in the body which may lead to death. For instance, lung cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are some of the illnesses caused by smoking. Therefore, one can analyze scientific facts about how smoking impacts people’s health and its harm.
Scientific Facts about How Smoking Affects People’s Health
Various healthcare professionals have analyzed different scientific facts about smoking to determine its impacts on individuals’ lives. The investigators have revealed that the life expectancy of a smoker is ten years less than a non-smoker since smoking is one of the major causes of many diseases (Tutka et al., 2019). For instance, the examiners have argued that cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer (Tutka et al., 2019). Some of these harmful compounds include benzene, acetaldehyde, arsenic, ethylene oxide, and beryllium. Therefore, there are high chances of people who smoke to develop cancer.
Another issue that physicians have analyzed is the addiction to smoking. In this case, doctors have stated that smoking is highly addictive due to nicotine (Tutka et al., 2019). The drug causes craving similar to heroin and cocaine, making it hard for users to quit. Scientists have investigated smoking facts, where they have reported that nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream through the lining of the mouth and the lungs and travels to the brain (Tutka et al., 2019). Hence, continuous use is what leads to nicotine creating and sustaining addiction.
Carbon monoxide reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen; thus, smokers have a high chance of developing health complications due to the system’s high level of carbon monoxide. Heart rate and blood pressure are also high while smoking, and in some cases, they lead to the development of heart diseases. Health practitioners have analyzed the reasons why people should be encouraged to quit smoking. For instance, they argue that smokers who quit before age 40 to reduce their chance of dying prematurely from smoking-related diseases quitting (Tutka et al., 2019). Therefore, scientific researches have helped many people learn about smoking and why it leads to addiction and various diseases.
The Harm of Smoking
Lung cancer is one of the major diseases caused by tobacco smoking. Many hospitals that have recorded cases of lung cancer have reported that most of the patients are smokers. Carcinogens are also available in tobacco and are likely to enter into the lung cells (Jeon et al., 2018). The changes in the lung tissue begin almost immediately, and damaging of cells develops gradually, leading to more health complications. Additionally, the airway and the air sacs are destroyed by cigarette smoke, which increases the chances of developing lung disease.
Diabetes is another condition that smokers are more likely to develop than non-smokers. Health practitioners have stated that managing Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) in patients who smoke is difficult since regulating insulin levels is impacted by the high concentration of nicotine in the blood (Śliwińska-Mossoń & Milnerowicz, 2017). Therefore, such individuals need more insulin to regulate blood sugar levels. Many people with diabetes have also been educated about how smoking increases their blood sugar levels and decreases their body’s ability to use insulin, making it more challenging to control their condition.
Heart diseases have become common in the modern world due to various lifestyle changes. For instance, smoking is one of the factors that have been associated with cardiovascular disorders. Doctors have asserted that tobacco smoking can lead to blood clotting that can partially or completely interfere with blood flow (Kamimura et al., 2018). In this case, smokers are at high risk of having blood clots in their veins and the heart, leading to cardiovascular disorders. Additionally, smoking contributes to atherosclerosis and increases one’s risk of dying from heart disease, heart failure, stroke, or a heart attack.
Smoking has also been termed as one of the major risk factors for COPD. Smokers are at high threat of dying from diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema than non-smokers (Caminha et al., 2018). Furthermore, tobacco smoking continues to damage the lungs after COPD develops, which increases the chances of triggering sudden airway narrowing and severe respiratory distress(Caminha et al., 2018). Hence, these issues can lead to the severity of the disease, and in some cases, death can be experienced.
Conclusion
To conclude, smoking has negative impacts on the health of individuals. Many people have developed various complications, whereby some have lost their lives. Moreover, scientific facts reveal that tobacco chemicals can contribute to the development of various health complications. Scientists have also discovered that nicotine is also addictive, making it hard for many individuals to quit smoking. The development of diseases such as diabetes, COPD, and heart conditions can be steered by smoking. Thus, people should be educated about the dangers of using tobacco. Young people should also be encouraged to avoid or quit smoking as it can lead to health complications. Health professionals should also educate people on different diseases and well-being problems linked to smoking. Consequently, tobacco use has adverse effects on individuals, and ways to limit smoking should be encouraged.
References
Caminha, G. P., Pizzichini, E., Lubianca Neto, J. F., Hopkins, C., Moreira, J. D. S., & Pizzichini, M. M. M. (2018). Rhinosinusitis symptoms, smoking, and COPD: Prevalence and associations. Clinical Otolaryngology, 43(6), 1560-1565. Web.
Jeon, J., Holford, T. R., Levy, D. T., Feuer, E. J., Cao, P., Tam, J., & Meza, R. (2018). Smoking and lung cancer mortality in the United States from 2015 to 2065: a comparative modeling approach. Annals of internal medicine, 169(10), 684-693. Web.
Kamimura, D., Cain, L. R., Mentz, R. J., White, W. B., Blaha, M. J., DeFilippis, A. P., & Hall, M. E. (2018). Cigarette smoking and incident heart failure: insights from the Jackson Heart Study. Circulation, 137(24), 2572-2582. Web.
Śliwińska-Mossoń, M., & Milnerowicz, H. (2017). The impact of smoking on the development of diabetes and its complications. Diabetes and Vascular Disease Research, 14(4), 265-276. Web.
Tutka, P., Vinnikov, D., Courtney, R. J., & Benowitz, N. L. (2019). Cytisine for nicotine addiction treatment: A review of pharmacology, therapeutics and an update of clinical trial evidence for smoking cessation. Addiction, 114(11), 1951-1969. Web.