Evils of Smoking [PDF]

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Cigarette smoking affects the brain Cigarette smoking may affect the human brain similar to the effect of drugs used to treat depression. The study was carried out at the University of Mississippi Medical Centre in Jackson, USA. They examined a part of the brain that is associated with depression, known as the locus coeruleus. They compared a portion of this brain tissue taken after death from seven people who had been heavy smokers with the brain tissue from nine non-smokers, all of whom had been mentally healthy. The investigators found that the brains of long-term smokers had neurochemical changes similar to those found in the brains of animals treated with antidepressant drugs. Chronic smoking produces antidepressant-like effects on the human brain. This may contribute to the popularity of smoking and difficulty to quit in those who are depressed. However, it was unclear if nicotine or other chemicals inhaled during smoking directly affected the brains of those who were depressed. It was still not clear whether smoking actually caused this effect, or whether those with this brain chemistry were more susceptible to becoming smokers. More studies are needed to prove the fact that smoking was in fact causing these neurochemical changes in the brain. It is emphasized that though cigarette smoking may have some effects against depression, it has many ill-effects like lung cancer, throat cancer, premature ageing, risk of heart attack and less productivity at work. However this study could aid the researchers in designing better smoking cessation treatments for depressed patients. Smokers are less productive at work Smoking may start as a fad, but it has some serious consequences for an individual’s career as well. According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people who smoke are less productive at work than their non-smoking peers. A study was conducted on the staff of a US airline comprising of 100 smokers, 100 smokers who had quit and 100 people who had never smoked at all. The results of the study revealed that smokers were absent from work for a longer duration and more times than non-smokers. Smokers were also less productive during work by being away from their desks more often and feeling generally unwell often. The performance of smokers was more than 4 percent below their non-smoking peers and 8.3 percent below ex-smokers. The researchers also found that performance improved once smoking was stopped. There was a 5 percent increase seen in work production after cessation of smoking. However, some employers felt that smoking in fact increases productivity by increasing interaction among the employees and relieving stress, especially in highly stressful jobs. But if the long term productivity of employees is important to the employers, then they should take steps to eliminate smoking areas from their offices. Toxin in cigarette smoke reduces female fertility It is known that cigarette smoking reduces the fertility of a woman in her child bearing years. However, the chemical that causes the destruction of eggs has been identified by researchers in United States the results of which were published in the journal, Nature. Toxins present in cigarette smoke destroy the supply of eggs in a woman’s ovaries, the research suggests. Cigarette smoke contains Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that kill off the eggs present in the ovaries before they mature. A baby girl is born with a finite number of eggs in her ovaries which gradually mature over a lifetime of ovulation. PAHs destroy the supply of eggs so that early menopause is reached. The research conducted on mice for six years yielded results that proved that fertility was reduced. When human ovarian cells were implanted in the rats and PAHs were injected, similar results were seen. The egg cells degenerated within 3 days after the injection of the toxin. Though the degeneration was quickly noticeable in experimental rats, the researchers cautioned that in humans the results may not be discernible immediately. Slow rate destruction may go on for years before the woman realises that she is no more capable of having children because all her egg cells have been destroyed.



The research opens a pathway for new therapies to be developed since the cause has been identified. However, quitting smoking would be a better approach in all circumstances to minimise any risk to the mother and the baby. Smokers age before their time Ageing is a biological process, and it gets slower as we age. We accelerate the ageing process by drinking, eating disorders, drug intake or too much of stress. Apart from being a known cause of lung and other cancers, smoking has also been shown to accelerate the ageing process. Distinct lines around the mouth and a dull pallor of the skin are associated with long-term smokers. The WHO predicts, that by mid-2020's, 85% of all smokers will come from the developing countries and smoking could become the world's biggest killer. It will cause more deaths than HIV, tuberculosis, road accidents, murder and suicide put together. Smoking-related diseases are killing four million people a year worldwide and the number will rise to ten million a year in the next twenty-five years. Rising death tolls are expected in countries such as China and Japan where 50% and 60% of adults are now smokers. The ability of the skin to remain healthy and young looking is its constant ability to regenerate itself; it depends on the balance or its ability to break down old skin and to create fresh replacement tissue. Smoking destroys the ability of the skin to renew itself effectively by increasing the levels of an enzyme, which causes the degradation of collagen, a compound that keeps the skin firm and elastic. The action of smoking causes increased stress and facial lines, and the affinity of the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke for the haemoglobin in the blood deprives skin of the nutrition it needs. Researchers also found out that smoke caused a drop in the production of fresh collagen by up to 40%. The amount of collagen is related to ageing; less collagen means more wrinkle formation. This has been proved by testing skin samples from various smokers and non-smokers. This combined effect of degrading collagen more rapidly and producing less new collagen is probably what causes premature skin ageing in smokers. The more concentrated the smoke, the greater the effect on collagen. The disruption of the collagen balance is like a scar and should be avoided as far as possible. Short of plastic surgery, there is no way to reverse the damage, so it is better to give up smoking if you want to avoid looking old prematurely! Smokers more at risk of heart attack Smokers are four times more at risk of suffering from a heart attack than non-smokers; and that risk becomes almost eight percent if the smoker is a diabetic. At the Annual Convention of the Cardiological Society of India, experts opined that control of cholesterol, regular exercise and restraint from smoking could greatly reduce the risk of heart disease. Passive smokers are also at risk for heart trouble and the increasing incidence of cardiovascular disease in India is a cause for concern within the medical community. Smoking is as much a psychosocial dependence as it is a physiological one. Adolescents usually begin to smoke under peer pressure and it soon becomes a habit and the individual becomes dependent on nicotine. In due course, smoking starts affecting the cardiovascular system. Constant smoking causes the heart to require more oxygen for the same amount of work. It also causes a rise in blood pressure and changes in the heart rhythm. Nicotine is also known to increase the fatty acid concentration of the blood making blood more prone to clotting. There are some alarming facts that chain smokers need to know. While 15 percent of non-smokers over the age of 35 years can expect to die before they are 65, this figure increases to about 40 percent in case of people who smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day. The average loss of life for a smoker is approximately 5 years. The time by which a habitual smoker’s life is shortened is about 5 minutes per cigarette smoked. Gender difference in effects of smoking Gender bias is not only social; in some cases it can be physical too. According to a study conducted by Norwegian doctors, harmful effects of cigarette smoking are more evident in women than in men.



Although the exact cause is not known, doctors suspect it is because of the smaller size of women’s lungs. In a study carried out by researchers from the National Institute of Public Health in Norway found that women who smoke the same number of cigarettes as men, complain more frequently of breathing problems and wheezing. The incidence of asthma was seen to rise in proportion with the number of cigarettes women smoked, but no such trend was found in men. The reason attributed to this difference between men and women was that women have smaller lungs and thus the concentration of poisonous smoke in their lungs is more than in men. Thus they carry more smoke per unit area of their lungs with the same number of cigarettes smoked than men making them more prone to the harmful effects.



Evils of Smoking



· Diseases caused by smoking · Psychological effects of smoking Some of the effects of smoking are physical and others are psychological. The physical effects of smoking are due to the different compounds identified in the tobacco smoke. The chief among them are nicotine, tars, carbon monoxide, ammonia, and unburnt carbon particles, each contributing to the over all ill effects. Tobacco is habit forming and has a firm grip on the user. The decision to smoke is usually taken during the teens and carries on into adulthood. This habit becomes increasingly dangerous, as the person grows older. Diseases caused by smoking



1. Chronic Respiratory Diseases Sinusitis, headaches and upper respiratory problems are common amongst smokers. Persistent cough and phlegm is caused by the smoker's bronchitis. The unburnt carbon particles and tars also make a long time smoker prone to respiratory infections including pneumonia and tuberculosis. In people who have been smoking since a long time and still continuing as they age, they may suffer from chronic obstructive lung disease. Damage to peripheral lung tissue may also occur. 2.



Cancer of lung and mouth Tars are carcinogenic. Cancer of throat and mouth may occur in long time smokers. Cancer of pancreas, kidney and urinary tract are also common among smokers.



3. Heart attacks and strokes Nicotine increases fatty acids and cholesterol in the blood and reduces the beneficial HDL cholesterol. These alterations are the cause of increased incidence of angina, heart attacks and strokes. Cigarette smoking is the most important single factor in the cause of heart attacks. It is essentially dangerous for the ageing because they may also have a history of hypertension, diabetes and raised blood cholesterol levels. 4.



Decline of physical and intellectual functioning Smoking causes decline of physical and intellectual functioning at all ages and compounds the deterioration in old age. It reduces immunity and makes the person susceptible to infections.



Psychological effects of smoking



Besides these physical problems, there are some psychological issues related with smoking. Nicotine dependence is not only a physical truth it also has psychological ramifications. 1. Smoking increases concentration Most smokers believe that smoking a cigarette increases concentration. Every time the individual encounters a situation, which requires concentration, he automatically reaches for a cigarette. But the truth is that nicotine reduces mental performance in the long run. What the person gets is near normal performance while smoking and below normal performance at other times. This makes the person more dependent on the cigarette. 2.



Smoking helps in dealing with stress Over the years, the heavy smoker dealt all his problems by smoking. It has often been seen that people who are tense often smoke a lot. He attempts to smoke away his worries. As the worries of retirement, financial insecurity and loss of spouse increase in old age, so does the smoking in an ageing person. It becomes a vicious cycle making him less capable of dealing with stress in any other way.



3. Smoking gives pleasure The process of inhaling and exhaling gives pleasure to the smoker. The feeling of light-headedness makes the person carefree for the moment and encourages him to smoke more often. 4.



Physical dependence The level of nicotine in the blood makes the person crave for more. A person who has spent a lifetime smoking has an even greater need to smoke since the level of nicotine is very high. These psychological aspects of smoking are so potent that inspite of the person's knowledge about the likely physical effects of smoking he continues to smoke. There is a psychological dependence on nicotine, which may carry on into old age and compound the ageing problems. In such cases it is important to take help of a counsellor. The family too can help the person deal with the problem of nicotine dependence.