How Does Smoking Increases the Risk of Cancer?
Today, most of us know that long-term cigarette smoking increases the risk of cancer.
But why exactly does this happen? While scientists are still searching to understand the exact process, we know that cigarette smoke contains harmful substances which damage cells.
One such substance is tar, which comes from the cigarette's burning paper and builds up in the alveoli of the lungs.
These are the sacks in which oxygen is absorbed in the lungs.
Other compounds such as nitrosamines are known to be carcinogenic, or cancer causing.
These carcinogenic substances cause cells to grow abnormally, and when this process goes out of control the result can be cancer.
This is in addition to carbon monoxide and nicotine which can decrease the amount of oxygen in the blood in increased the fatty deposits in the arteries.
Together these compounds greatly increase the risk of heart disease.
The good news is that these affects can be reversed in time.
Recent studies prove that some benefits are seen immediately after one quits smoking.
If a person sticks with a commitment and continues to be done with smoking, the benefits will increase throughout the coming months and years.
Your risk for long-term problems including heart disease, cancer, COPD, and other serious diseases drops significantly within the first year of quitting.
Once you've been free of cigarette smoke for 5 to 15 years, your risk for serious medical diseases is about the same as someone who has never smoked.
If this seems like an oversimplification of the quitting process, understand that we're not trying to ignore how difficult this can be.
But if you want to get different results, you will have to work on changing your behavior.
This can be a slow, challenging process, but it is important to stick with it because the results are well worth it.
But why exactly does this happen? While scientists are still searching to understand the exact process, we know that cigarette smoke contains harmful substances which damage cells.
One such substance is tar, which comes from the cigarette's burning paper and builds up in the alveoli of the lungs.
These are the sacks in which oxygen is absorbed in the lungs.
Other compounds such as nitrosamines are known to be carcinogenic, or cancer causing.
These carcinogenic substances cause cells to grow abnormally, and when this process goes out of control the result can be cancer.
This is in addition to carbon monoxide and nicotine which can decrease the amount of oxygen in the blood in increased the fatty deposits in the arteries.
Together these compounds greatly increase the risk of heart disease.
The good news is that these affects can be reversed in time.
Recent studies prove that some benefits are seen immediately after one quits smoking.
If a person sticks with a commitment and continues to be done with smoking, the benefits will increase throughout the coming months and years.
Your risk for long-term problems including heart disease, cancer, COPD, and other serious diseases drops significantly within the first year of quitting.
Once you've been free of cigarette smoke for 5 to 15 years, your risk for serious medical diseases is about the same as someone who has never smoked.
If this seems like an oversimplification of the quitting process, understand that we're not trying to ignore how difficult this can be.
But if you want to get different results, you will have to work on changing your behavior.
This can be a slow, challenging process, but it is important to stick with it because the results are well worth it.
