What smoking does to your body and why you should avoid it

May 31 is World No Tobacco Day Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers and a leading cause of cancerrelated deaths worldwide It is responsible for 13 per cent of all new cancer cases and 19 per cent of cancerrelated deaths worldwide According to the World Health Organisation lung cancer was the most common causes of cancer led death in 2020 The most significant risk factor for lung cancer is cigarette smoking Lung cancer chances are also affected by using other tobacco products such as cigars or pipes Tobacco smoke contains about 7000 compounds many of which are toxins People who smoke cigarettes are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer or die from it than people who do not smoke Lung cancer can develop even if you only smoke a few cigarettes a day or smoke occasionally The longer a person smokes and the more cigarettes smoked per day the greater the danger Vijith Shetty MD DM consultant medical oncologist KS Hegde Hospital Mangalore tells IANSlife Tobacco consumption is often perceived as safer than cigarettes or smoked tobacco products However chewing tobacco is a risk factor which leads to the development of oral cancers and precancers abnormal cells which have undergone some changes and can become cancerous Chewing tobacco also puts you at risk for cardiovascular disease gum disease tooth decay and tooth loss Adding Adithya Murali MD DM consultant medical oncologist ASTER CMI Hospital Bangalore iterates that tobacco causes 8 million deaths every year Studies conducted this year shows that smokers are more likely to develop severe disease with Covid19 compared to nonsmokers The virus primarily attacks the lungs and smoking weakens the lungs thereby making it difficult to fight Covid and other diseases Smoking is also a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases respiratory diseases cancer and diabetes which put such people at a greater risk of Covid Murali says Srinivas BJ MD DNB medical oncologist HCG Hospital Bangalore tells IANSlife Smoking can cause cancer in any area of the body including the larynx ureter bladder cervix oesophagus liver lung pancreas stomach colon or rectum throat tongue and tonsils among other places Smoking also raises your chances of getting cancer and other diseases Cigarettes contains multiple chemicals including something like Cadmium which is used in car batteries or tar which is used on the roads warns Anil Heroor headsurgical oncology Fortis Hospital Mulund and Fortis Hiranandani Hospital Vashi Heroor lists the benefits of quitting smoking on your health and your quality of life Quitting smoking lets you breathe more easily People breathe more easily and cough less when they give up smoking because their lung capacity improves by up to 10 per cent within 9 months In your 20s and 30s the effect of smoking on your lung capacity may not be noticeable until you go for a run but lung capacity naturally diminishes with age Once older for a high lung capacity it means one has to have an active healthy old age one that limits wheezing when you go for a walk or climb the stairs Quitting smoking gives you more energy Within 2 to 12 weeks of stopping smoking your blood circulation improves This makes all physical activity including walking and running much easier Quitting smoking reduce mental stress There are scientific studies that show peoples stress levels are lower after they stop smoking If you find that you are prone to stress replacing smoking with a healthier better way of dealing with stress can give you some real benefits Stopping smoking improves fertility Quitting smoking improves the lining of the womb and can make mens sperm more potent Most importantly it improves the chances of giving birth to a healthy baby Quit smoking to live longer Half of all longterm smokers die early from smokingrelated diseases including cancer heart disease and chronic lung diseases People who quit smoking by the age of 30 years add 10 years to their life People who kick the habit at 60 years add 3 years to their life In other words it is never too late to benefit from stoppingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever