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✍🏻 Zainab Abrar | MSc Drug Discovery & Toxicology Student, University of Hertfordshire
How Does Smoking Affect Your Body & Health? 🫁
Be it pipes, cigars, or cigarettes, all can harm the body.
The chemicals in tobacco smoke can cause significant damage to many essential organs including:
Bladder Bronchi Cervix Colon Kidneys | Larynx Liver Lungs Oesophagus Oropharynx | Pancreas Rectum Stomach Trachea Urether |
This damage can lead to a number of health conditions including:
Cardiovascular diseases
Respiratory problems
Infectious diseases
Cancer (almost anywhere in the body)
How Does Smoking Cause Cancer? 🚬
Tobacco smoke contains 5000 different chemicals known as carcinogens.
Carcinogens can damage:
Healthy cells: This causes them to become abnormal and if immune cells are damaged they struggle to kill other damaged cells or infected cells, or repair DNA damage.
DNA: DNA is contained within cells, and this damage causes cancer which when the cells become abnormal, grow uncontrollably, and spread to other parts of the body.
Both the damage of healthy cells generally and/or the DNA inside, are the reasons as to why smoking causes cancer.
What strategies can you employ to help you stop smoking? 🚭
Making the decision to stop smoking is a win itself.
Quitting smoking is not easy, but there are methods you can employ and support you can get to help you during the process.
To begin your first non-smoking days, many use the START strategy.
S = Set a date.
T = Tell your loved ones.
A = Anticipate any challenge.
R = Remove tobacco products from home.
T = Talk to your doctor about getting some help.
You can also take help from sources such as Smokefree.gov to help you personalise your journey.
Remember that being willing to receive help is a sign of strength.
Is vaping as bad as smoking? 💨
Vaping has gained popularity in recent years. Studies have shown that whilst vaping has less harmful effects than cigarette smoking it is still not safe.
The manufacturers of vapes intended for them to be used by individuals trying to quit cigarette smoking, however, many non-smokers have taken up vaping.
Vaping involves the heating of nictoine to produce flavoured aerosols which are inhaled.
Vaping can cause addiction to nicotine and can have life-threatening consequences including long-term lung damage causing major respiratory problems and heart disease.
Written by: Zainab Abrar (Content Writer)
Edited by: Grace Pountney (Founder and Director)
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