Cigarettes are one of the most lethal carcinogens known to man. They are the single most common and preventable cause of cancer in society. Although most people know that cigarette smoking causes lung cancer and other respiratory illness, and it is one of the main causes of heart disease, most people do not grasp the nature and extent of how harmful tobacco is.
The combination of smoking, liberal drinking and poor nutrition conceivably elevates the risk for various chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. Studies show that, beyond the act of smoking itself, smokers may engage in other negative health behaviors like:
- Eating too few fruits and vegetables,
- Consuming alcohol and caffeine,
- Not getting sufficient sleep,
- Eating foods with a high fat content,
- Being physically inactive (not getting enough exercise).
A recent study conducted by professors at Berkeley shows that smoking influences nutrition in ways that cannot be accounted for in diet alone. Some of their findings are given below:
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Vitamic C: Vitamin C is an important disease-prevention antioxidant. Antioxidants are thought to help the body fight off diseases ranging from cancer to heart disease, and help stave off the degenerative effects of aging. The more a person smoke, the more vitamin C is lost from the tissues and blood. For example, Smoking just one cigarette robs the body of 25mg of vitamin C (the amount of vitamin C in an orange). But the body needs more vitamin C to counteract the damage that smoking causes to the cells. To make up for this disturbance, a smoker needs to increase their vitamin C intake to around 2000mg a day by eating more vitamin C rich foods like oranges and by taking vitaminc C supplements.
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Vitamin D: Cigarette smoking has a significant effect on vitamin D metabolism. Smokers have a 50% greater incidence of poor vitamin D levels compared with non-smokers.
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Calcium: Cigarette smoking has a significant effect on calcium metabolism. Deficient calcium absorption, of course, can lead to osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones. You don't want that to happen.
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Vitamin E: Vitamin E is believed to inhibit fatty deposits on the inner walls of the arteries. Smoking causes hardening of the arteries. Therefore, smokers may reduce their risk of developing heart disease by taking Vitamin E supplements.
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Blood Circulation: Studies have shown that cigarette smoking impairs blood circulation and blood flow from the heart (21% lower in smokers than in non-smokers).
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Increase in Blood fat: Two to four cigarettes in a row increase blood fats 200 to 400%. The average smoker has 4 to 6 times the chance of having heart disease if he's in the 45-54 year age group.
If you smoke, you need to eat even healthier than a non-smoker just to get the same nutrients. To help your body's use of nutrients, drink green tea, eat lots of fruit and vegetables, and take vitamin C and vitamin E supplements. And of course, look into quitting!
Nice information,
Add this point also. Cigarette contains many chemicals , nicotine in cigarette is deadly toxin which stimulates the central nervous system(it increase pressure) & reduces the absorption of many nutrients like antioxidants, vitamin D, calcium ,iron & nicotine is absorbed by lungs which leads to lungs cancer, many skin cancer, skin prob & health probs.
Once you try to stop smoking , some of withdrawal symptoms occurs, this include anger, anxiety,head ache , raises blood pressure, stomach pain. So try reduce slowly & fastly.
A nice informative article. Even smoking not only harms the smokers but it also indirectly harms non smokers too who are exposed to the cigarette smoke. So why dont quit smoking for better health of yourself and your peoples around you.