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Smoking

How can smoking affect your health?

Many people link smoking to cancer. But in fact, among smokers worldwide it’s heart and blood vessel disease- not cancer-that’s the number 1 cause of death. That’s because smoking damages the lining of your arterias and promotes plaque buildup. Plaque is made of fatty deposits like cholesterol that collect at certain places in your arterias. Plaque can eventually block the arterias and cut off the blood and oxygen supply.

Plaque buildup, also called atherosclerosis, can lead to:

Heart attack-inside the coronary arterias (on the surface of your heart), plaque or a clot can block blood flow and cause a heart attack.

Stroke-inside the carotid arterias (in your neck), plaque or a clot can block blood flow to the brain and cause a stroke.

Smoking actually does more than promote plaque buildup. lt also affects substances in your blood, such as proteins, which make your blood sticky and more likely to clot.

Smoking has also been linked to:

  • High blood pressure-smoking narrows the blood vessels, which increases blood pressure. Smoking also increases your heart rate, making your heart work harder.
  • High cholesterol-smoking lowers HDL or high-density lipoprotein (good cholesterol) in your blood. And it increases LDL or low-density lipoprotein (bad cholesterol). The tobacco smoke also contains chemicals called free radicals that make the LDL even more harmful to your arterias.
  • Obesity-since smoking can affect your lung function, it can limit your exercise. This can also lead to weight gain.
  • Diabetes-smoking increases your body’s resistance to insulin, a hormona you need to convert blood sugar into energy.
  • Irregular heartbeats-called arrhythmias.
  • Sudden cardiac death (SCD)-caused by dangerously fast arrhythmias.
  • Heart failure-the weakened pumping of the heart.

Most people know that smoking contributes to cancer-cancers of the lung, larynx (voice box), oral cavity, pharynx (throat), esophagus, bladder, liver, colon, rectum, cervix, kidney, stomach, and pancreas. In addition, smoking can cause or contribute to cataracts, osteoporosis, and sorne leukemias.

What you can do

You can take action-because it’s never too late to quit. In 2004 the US Surgeon General noted that even if you don’t kick the habit until age 65 or older, you can still cut your risk of dying from a smoking-relatad disease by nearly 50%. The table shows you how.

Time Since QuittingHealth Benefit
20 minutesYour heart rate drops.
12 hoursThe carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
2 weeks – 3 monthsCirculation improves and lung function increases.
1 – 9 monthsCoughing and shortness of breath decrease.
1 yearThe excess risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
5 – 15 yearsThe risk of stroke is as low as a nonsmoker’s.
1O yearsThe lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smoker’s.
15 yearsThe risk of heart and blood vessel disease is as low as a nonsmoker’s.

Don’t discount the impact that lifestyle changas can have on your health. According to the National lnstitutes of Health, a healthy lifestyle can help lower heart disease risk by 82%. In most cases, this means you should follow a heart­ healthy eating plan, get regular physical activity, maintain a healthy weight, and quit smoking.

Talk to your nurse about methods that can help you kick the habit. Today there are patches, self-help classes, toll-free telephone hotlines, and nicotina replacement therapy. You can see which works best for you.

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