The Effects of Smoking On Your Body
- Category: Blog
- Posted On:
- Written By: St. John's Medical Center
Smoking and Your Health
Living in Jackson, Wyoming, many people find themselves living an active and healthy lifestyle—however, all of that exercise can be negated by tobacco use.
It is common knowledge that smoking tobacco can negatively impact lung health, however, many people don’t think about how smoking can affect the rest of the body. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking cigarettes is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths in the United States each year.
Vaping is also part of the epidemic—with 1 in 20 adults vaping regularly in the United States. Although marketed as a “safer” alternative to cigarettes, vaping can also cause various health conditions and complications that affect the lungs, heart, and blood circulation.
If you are or a loved one are considering quitting, these facts may help you make the decision:
How Does Smoking Affect the Body?
Smoking tobacco, regardless of how, is detrimental to your general health. Smoking tobacco can lead to the development of lung and heart disease as well as constricted blood vessels. However, some lesser-discussed health complications can include but are not limited to:
- High cholesterol
- Early menopause
- Erectile dysfunction
- Infertility
- Blood clotting
- Loss of appetite
- Impaired sense of smell and taste
- Yellowing of the fingers and fingernails
- Wrinkles
- Smelly hair
Smoking can be one of the leading causes of several types of cancer and is responsible for about 90% of lung cancer-related deaths. While cancer of the lungs, mouth, and esophagus are more widely known—long-term smoking can also lead to:
- Acute myeloid leukemia
- Cancer of the larynx (voice-box)
- Mouth cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Throat cancer
- Cervical cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Liver cancer
- Colorectal cancer
Benefits of Quitting
A common belief when it comes to people who have been smoking for years is that they won’t see a difference when quitting. However, if you do choose to quit smoking, you can begin to see and feel a difference almost immediately. Your body begins to reverse the effects of smoking as soon as 20 minutes after your last cigarette. The sooner you quit, the more likely you are to reduce your risk of developing cancers and other smoking-related diseases.
