Smoking - How Lethal Is It?

Smoking has several bad effects on your body, and it can invite many diseases, be it related to the heart, lungs, brain or respiratory system. Millions of people everywhere in this world die from problems triggered by smoking. Cigarette smoking is one of the most harmful threats to your body; there is no way you can expect to remain safe while being an addict. It is not easy to give up smoking in a day. You might require some other sort of oral stimulation in the process of quitting.

There are many toxic compounds in a cigarette which further damage your cells. Tobacco is carcinogenic and hence cigarette smoking can result in several types of cancer. Tobacco smoke mainly consists of:

1. Nicotine: This is an extremely addictive substance. As smokers are hooked to the nicotine, they find it very hard to quit. This acts really fast on their lungs and reaches the brain within 15 seconds after you inhale it.
2. Carbon monoxide: It is a dangerous gas without any taste or smell. Your body absorbs it immediately as it is very hard to discriminate between oxygen and carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide decreases heart rate and muscle functions thus pushing you towards a slow death.
3. Tar: It is a poisonous chemical which causes cancer. Whilst smoking, 70% tar remains in your lungs. It is basically a sticky brown material.

Smoking is one of the most important reasons for preventable deaths. The diseases that can be caused by smoking are:

1. Brain: Stroke is one most threatening diseases that can be caused by smoking. Smoking increases your chances of suffering from a stroke. Smoking increases brain aneurysm, which develops the chances of stroke. It can rupture the blood vessels in your brain and it can lead to brain death too.
2. Heart: During smoking, the smoke enters the blood vessels of your body and it damages the blood circulation system. It can give you several heart diseases like - stroke, heart attack, coronary heart problem and peripheral heart problem.
3. Lungs: Lungs get the worst effects of smoking. Asthma, cough, wheezing and cold are just the tip of the iceberg. Your lungs directly absorb the nicotine and tar. Other diseases like pneumonia, lung cancer and emphysema can also occur.
4. Mouth and throat: Smoking causes very common oral problems like bad breath and stained teeth. It can also cause gum cancer and throat cancer. 93% of throat, head and neck cancers occur due to smoking.
5. Infertility and reproduction: Smoking destroys blood vessels, which supply blood to the penis and cause male impotence. It destroys sperm count in men and egg count in women. It can also cause cervical cancer. Apart from this, smoking also causes premature birth, stillbirth and illness.