What do Nat "King" Cole, Babe Ruth, Walt Disney, Humphrey Bogart, and Sammy Davis Jr. have in common?
Yes, they are famous people. More importantly, they died of tobacco–related diseases. They left this world at an age that would not even qualify them for today's retirement benefits. Most people know, including smokers, that tobacco is hazardous to our health. Unfortunately, the exact mechanisms by which it is dangerous and addictive is not always well–understood by the public. Many risks are realized in the medical community, but there are certainly more to be discovered in the future. Why the tobacco industry has pervaded the United States and has not been federally–regulated is another issue that will not be covered here. For now, here are some cold, hard facts regarding tobacco and its effects.
First of all, there are over 4,000 (and perhaps up to 100,000) chemicals that are released from mainstream smoke (the smoke directly inhaled from the cigarette by a smoker). It is no surprise that these substances wreck havoc throughout the body, and that the U.S. Surgeon General has concluded that smoking is the leading preventable cause of death in the United States. Smokers tend to be less healthy, with weaker immune systems, and therefore at increased risk for multiple medical problems.
Here are preventable, tobacco–related cancers:
| • Breast (41,000 American women every year) | • Acute myeloid leukemia |
| • Mouth, tongue, and throat | • Cervical |
| • Bladder | • Kidney |
| • Liver | • Stomach |
| • Pancreatic |  |
Other adverse effects of smoking include:
| • Periodontitis (gum disease) | • Cardiovascular disease: strokes, heart attacks, abdominal aortic aneurysms, peripheral vascular disease and associated need for amputations |
| • C.O.P.D. (Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: includes emphysema & chronic bronchitis) | |
| • Colds, sore throats, upper respiratory infections, and pneumonia | |
| • Smoker's cough | • Increased surgical complications |
| Asthma |
Tobacco may also contribute to:
| • Blindness/Cataracts | • Infertility/Impotence |
| • Osteoporosis | • Stillbirths |
Although coronary artery disease is the leading overall cause of death in the United States, tobacco smoking is its evil contributor for many patients. Smoking causes atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, due to the harmful substances found in the cigarette smoke.
As for pregnant female smokers, 12–22% of females continue to smoke despite knowing they are pregnant. They put their babies at risk for low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), conduct disorder, nicotine addiction, attention–deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), lower IQ, obesity, strabismus (eye disorder), and other pregnancy complications.
With regards to the external appearance, it is not uncommon for physicians to notice that a smoker looks significantly older than his or her actual age. A person who has been smoking a pack of cigarettes each day takes on the wrinkles of a nonsmoker 1.4 times older than her/him, so that:
- A 20–year–old smoker would look like a 28–year–old non–smoker.
- A 50–year–old would look 70–years–old.
The rate may actually accelerateas people age, so that people in their 40's look a full 20 years older. It was suggested that the difference between identical twins when one smokes and the other doesn't is similar to before and after pictures of a face–lift. Although I bring up the skin effects of the tobacco, the skin is a reflection of our inner body and can mirror the many internal derangements created by tobacco.
As for secondhand smoke, it consists of smoke exhaled by a smoker and the smoke given off by the burning end of a cigarette. In secondhand smoke, there are at least 60 cancercausing substances (also known as carcinogens). Carcinogens damage important genes that control the growth of cells, causing them to grow abnormally or to reproduce too rapidly. Other secondhand smoke substances, such as nicotine and carbon monoxide, interfere with normal cell development.
Quitting smoking has short and long–term benefits to one's general health and assists with creating a healthier environment. In addition, the financial burden to buy cigarettes is steep. A pack–a–day smoker (which qualifies as a heavy smoker) can spend from $1000–$1500 per year on cigarettes alone. This cost does not include the financial burden imposed on society to cover the medical consequences. Of note, there is no clear benefit to smoking "low tar and nicotine level" cigarettes, per the 2004 Surgeon General report. And, cigarettes are not the only cancer–causing form of tobacco. Using pipes, cigars, smokeless tobacco, or other forms of tobacco are also to blame for mouth and throat cancers.
Even if you are not famous, your life does have meaning to those around you. Please contact your doctor for more info on smoking cessation.
