Smoking is harmful. And why?
Man is an inquisitive being. Why does a little thing live in each of us, even in an adult and seemingly educated person, I don't want to. It's not enough for us to just say, "this can't be done," we also need to explain why it can't be done. And what will happen to the one who violates this prohibition.
This happens, for example, with smoking. Many smokers realize that they are doing, to put it mildly, not quite right. But in disputes with non-smokers, they usually throw the phrase "And prove to me that smoking is harmful!". Well, they ask – we will prove it.
Real risksSo, what do smokers themselves risk by using their airways as a biological filter for tobacco smoke?
The first, of course, is lung cancerAccording to the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), tobacco smoke contains about 4,800 different chemicals and compounds, 69 of which – as a result of research and observations – are proven carcinogens.
This does not mean that smokers will necessarily get cancer. But the fact that they have a higher risk is definitely. According to the same CDC, about 90 percent of lung cancer deaths are smokers. About 1.3 million new cases of this disease are registered annually in the world.
Scientists have recently learned exactly how cancer and smoking are related. In May 2008, the British Journal of Cancer published an article by researchers from the University of Oregon for Cancer Research (OHSU). They found out which protein leads to genetic changes that cause the development of lung cancer in smokers. Doctors have found that under the influence of tobacco smoke, the synthesis of the FANCD2 protein slows down, which leads to DNA damage that causes the development of cancer. Tobacco smoke also inhibits the synthesis of protective proteins for FANCD2, which usually prevent cancer by repairing DNA damage and causing defective cells to destroy themselves. The study showed that smoking is absolutely indisputably associated with lung cancer, this discovery may help scientists develop tactics for treating lung cancer in the future.
In June 2008, The Lancet Oncology published data that the risk of developing lung cancer is the same in both men and women, although it was previously believed that women have some additional natural defense mechanisms against this pathology. The only difference is in the types of malignant tumor – women are more often affected by adenocarcinoma, and men – small cell cancer. In addition, the same work emphasized that smoking 2 packs of cigarettes a day increases the risk of cancer by 50 times compared to those who have never smoked.
Oncological pathology can affect many other organs. For example, according to research by the US National Cancer Institute, smokers are not aware of the risk of developing bladder cancer, although it is not so rare – only in America about 68 thousand new cases are registered every year. Meanwhile, in the first four years after a smoker quits smoking, the risk of developing bladder cancer decreases by 40 percent.
The second, but no less serious danger is chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)Obstruction is a violation of the patency of the respiratory tract.
The COPD risk group is, as a rule, experienced smokers who have been smoking one pack of cigarettes a day for 20 years. The average age of onset of the disease is 40 years. To check whether a person is at risk, you can use the IR index (the index of a smoking person).
number of cigarettes smoked per day * smoking experience (years)
IR = ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20
If the IR is greater than 10, then this is a reliable risk factor for COPD.
The essence of the disease is that under the influence of tobacco smoke, the bronchi gradually narrow. This process is progressing and is only partially reversible, and even then up to a certain stage.
The symptoms are familiar to many smokers: chronic cough – the so-called "smoker's cough", especially strong in the morning; coughing up sputum; gradually increasing shortness of breath and decreased tolerance for physical exertion (especially noticeable when climbing stairs); frequent respiratory tract infections.
According to the Russian Respiratory Society, COPD develops in 50 percent of smokers, this pathology in Russia ranks 1st (55 percent) in the structure of the prevalence of respiratory diseases, significantly ahead of bronchial asthma (19 percent) and pneumonia (14 percent). According to official data of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation, 2.4 million COPD patients have been registered in the country. Given the low level of diagnosis and the latest data from epidemiological studies, the number of COPD patients in Russia may exceed 11 million people, and this is a huge problem already at the socio-economic level.
The third problem is the loss of reproductive healthHere are just some of the problems that, according to the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, can lie in wait for smokers.
Most of all, as one might expect, goes to women. It is more difficult for a smoker to conceive than a non-smoker. Especially if we are talking about such a common procedure in our time as in vitro fertilization. Smokers need at least twice as many IVF attempts (before achieving a successful result) compared to non-smokers. Moreover, experts emphasize that cycle disorders, a decrease in the level of sex hormones, a decrease in the likelihood of implantation, which develop as a result of smoking, cannot be compensated by the forces and means of modern reproductive technologies.
A child born to smoking parents is already doomed in advance to a wide variety of problems in the reproductive system, first of all, it concerns boys.
In a woman who smoked during pregnancy, a child is born addicted to nicotine, or with a pronounced predisposition to it.
The percentage of premature babies, fetal death and miscarriages is significantly higher among smokers, especially those who have not abandoned this habit during pregnancy.
Smoking during pregnancy is also a major risk factor for the development of the syndrome of sudden nocturnal death of newborns (from respiratory arrest), according to a study by Canadian scientists published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. And in general, lung function disorders are very common in children of smokers.
Men also can't get away with it. Smoking primarily negatively affects the qualitative and quantitative composition of sperm, and, consequently, its fertilizing abilities. Another serious problem is the impossibility of a full erection, which is associated with vascular pathology, also characteristic of smokers.
And other problemsIn addition, various kinds of pathologies develop in the cardiovascular system, gastrointestinal tract, other organs and systems of the body.
There are no cells or tissues that are not affected.
The risk of developing diseases is high even for young smokers. Shocking facts were published in the journal of the American Heart Association Stroke: smokers aged 15-49 years have a 2.6 times greater risk of stroke than non-smokers (and never smoked) women. Moreover, for those who smoke two packs of cigarettes a day, this risk is already higher in
9.1 times.
Let's not forget about passive smoking, which carries no less dangers. It is not surprising that the World Health Organization not only took up arms against smokers itself, but also encouraged the governments of 160 countries that have already signed the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to do so. In April 2008, Russia joined it.
Is there an alternative?The last line of defense of smokers is the so–called alternative methods of introducing nicotine into the body.
They are often presented as more harmless than cigarettes, moreover, they are also trying to glue therapeutic properties to them. However, about everything in order.
CigarsAny tobacco products have the same negative impact on a person as cigarettes, and sometimes they are even more harmful, according to Belgian researchers.
Cigar smoke turned out to be the leader in mutagenicity. Canadian toxicologists have found that cigars according to this indicator (it was evaluated according to a standard test with Salmonella typhimurium) were 2.42 times higher than cigarettes. Cigarillos, by the way, are also not far away – 2.38.
Doctors from the State University of New York decided to analyze what they write about cigars on the Internet. We took a choice of 10 websites of governmental and non-governmental organizations, which contained information about cigars, as well as a discussion of their harm / benefit. On 7 resources out of 10, statements were found that cigars can be safer than cigarettes. More or less adequate materials were found only on the websites of various organizations and healthcare institutions.
The described properties of cigars are not surprising if we take into account the volume of tobacco in one cigar, and therefore the concentration of harmful substances in the smoke. It should also be borne in mind that alcohol is traditionally served with a cigar, which only increases the negative impact of some smoke ingredients.
HookahProponents of hookah claim that when passing through the water, the smoke is filtered and purified from the most dangerous compounds.
Syrian, American and German scientists claim that this is not the case, and prove it in an article in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence. It should be noted that this is not the only study of this kind. Hookah smoke is almost identical to cigarette smoke. Moreover, according to some indicators, it is even more harmful, for example, carbon monoxide.
In addition, it should be borne in mind that for 5-7 minutes and 8-12 puffs, a cigarette smoker receives from 0.5 to 0.6 liters of tobacco smoke. Hookah session lasts from 20 to 80 minutes, the number of puffs ranges from 50 to 200. This allowed Lebanese scientists to state in 2004 in the journal Biochemistry, Pharmacology, and Behavior that smoking one hookah is equal to smoking about 100 cigarettes. With all the ensuing consequences.
There is also scientific evidence indicating an approximately equal risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, lung cancer and other diseases in "cigarette smokers" and "hookah smokers". And nicotine addiction develops in both the former and the latter, despite the fact that water does retain a certain amount of nicotine.
Another indirect danger of hookah is the tradition of smoking in a circle. At the same time, it is absolutely not necessary to use one mouthpiece at all, the causative agents of many diseases, including tuberculosis and hepatitis A, feel great both in hookah pipes and in the water with which the device is filled.
Chewing tobaccoA more accurate name is smokeless tobacco products (STPs).
They are mainly represented by chewing and snuff.
This alternative to cigarettes is also not very safe. PubMed, an international database of scientific medical research, reveals several dozen studies on this topic.
For example, in The Lancet Oncology, the results of a fairly large research paper were published, which read: Although users of smokeless tobacco products have a lower risk of cancer than smokers, they still have an increased risk of developing several types of cancer.
In particular, this applies to oral cancer (an 80 percent increase in risk), esophageal and pancreatic cancer (a 60 percent increase in risk). The risk of lung cancer compared to those who do not consume tobacco at all is 50 percent higher for those who chew tobacco and 90 percent higher for those who snort it. In general, fans of any type of tobacco are more than 5.5 times more likely to develop lung cancer compared to those who have never consumed tobacco products.
In addition, the risk of cardiovascular pathology in smokers and tobacco chewing is about the same, according to Indian scientists. It is not surprising that tobacco gum is banned in some states of India.
The problem of chewing and snuff is not as local as it might seem. The offensive against smokers, which is taking place in many countries of the world, has led to the fact that STPs began to be promoted as a substitute for cigarettes in public places. After all, the bans that are being introduced everywhere relate specifically to smoking – it doesn't matter if it's cigars, hookah or cigarettes. However, no one can forbid chewing and sniffing tobacco, because it does not have a negative impact on others. In addition, the emphasis in advertising companies began to be placed on the youth audience. So the problem promises to grow to a global scale.
Electronic cigaretteThe device was invented in 2004 in China, and is currently sold in Brazil, Canada, Finland, Israel, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Sweden, Turkey and the UK.
An electronic cigarette looks like a real one, but there is no smoke from it, since there is no tobacco in it. The containers contain liquid nicotine in one or another dosage, which is gradually introduced into the smoker's body.
Everything would be fine, but manufacturers began to promote this product as a therapeutic agent that can help quit smoking. Moreover, they began to refer to WHO, allegedly it was with her approval that this device was created and distributed.
WHO did not tolerate such an attitude towards herself and made a special explanation. Rather harsh in tone.
"The e–cigarette is not a proven means of nicotine replacement therapy," said Dr. Ala Alwan, Assistant Director-General representing the WHO Cluster of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. "WHO does not have scientific data confirming the safety and effectiveness of this product. Its sellers should immediately remove from their websites and other information materials any claims that WHO considers it as a safe and effective means to facilitate smoking cessation," he continued.
Thus, the smokers were knocked out of this bastion of defense. And what remains after that? Only to throw. And throw it the way doctors really recommend – not gradually, but at once. It's more reliable this way.
Smoking in Russia: dangerous statistics on a bad habit
(according to ITAR-TASS)
The International Day of Quitting Smoking was organized by the American Cancer Society in 1977, it has been held in Russia since 1992, but over 20 years the number of smokers has increased by 440 thousand people. The growth of adherents of a bad habit is due to new social groups – young people and women.
According to the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Protection (Rospotrebnadzor), the statistics of a bad habit are as follows: 65% of men and more than 30% of women smoke. Of these, 80% of men and 50% of women began smoking in adolescence (up to 18 years).
Smoking is spreading among young people, the average age of a regular smoker is falling. At the age of 15-19, 40% of boys and 7% of girls smoke, while they smoke an average of 12 and 7 cigarettes per day, respectively. If we present these data in absolute numbers, it turns out that more than three million teenagers smoke in Russia: 2.5 million boys and 0.5 million girls.
The harmful habit is spreading especially rapidly among young women. So, in the age group of 20-29 years, the proportion of women who smoke is 10 times higher than at the age of over 60 years.
In the world, 90% of deaths from lung cancer, 75% from chronic bronchitis and 25% from coronary heart disease are caused by smoking.
Portal "Eternal youth" www.vechnayamolodost.ru21.11.2008