Healthy Living

Since smoking rates started increasing by the early 20th century, so did the discovery of the different affects of smoking on the body. Unfortunately, whether you smoke or not, your body will be affected by smoking. Secondhand smoking or passive smoking is simply exposure to cigarette smoke. The severity of diseases caused by passive smoking will depend on how long a nonsmoker is exposed to cigarette smoke. Below are some impacts of smoking on both smokers and nonsmokers.

Development of emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are affects of smoking. These diseases arise because of exposure to substances in smoke like cyanide and carbon monoxide.

Cancers are negative bearing of smoking. Many cancers have been linked to smoking - cancers of the oral cavity, esophagus, pancreas, and lungs. To date, 87% of lung cancer cases in the United States are affects of smoking. Passive smoking increases a nonsmoker's risk of developing lung cancer by 20 to 30%.

Within 1 minute of inhaling smoke from cigarettes and tobacco products, changes in the cardiovascular system are already observed. Heart rate and blood pressure increase. Heart rate increases by as much as 30% during the first 10 minutes of smoking. And substances in smoke lead to different impact of such negative habit on the cardiovascular system, for example, reduced oxygen and narrowing of blood vessels. These negative bearing of smoking cause heart disease, stroke, atherosclerosis, peripheral vascular disease, and heart attack. Smoking increases a persons risk of suffering a heart attack by 5 times. Passive smoking increases a nonsmoker's risk of developing heart disease by 25 to 30%.

Infections like chronic bronchitis, invasive pneumococcal disease, common colds, and tuberculosis are easily acquired by smokers because smoking affects the immune system. If a smoker consumes at least 20 cigarettes a day, his risk of acquiring tuberculosis is increased by 2 to 4 times. And acquiring invasive pneumococcal disease is at a fourfold increase.

Other negative impacts of smoking are leukoplakia, halitosis or bad breath, periodontitis, asthma, allergies, and many others. And worst is the fact that smoking causes death. A smoker's life expectancy is reduced by 2.5 to 10 years. If smoking is equal to death, you might as well quit the habit now. Quit smoking. Save your life!