According to the World Health Organization, 8 million people die every year from diseases related in one way or another to tobacco use. Although in 2021, the number of smokers in developed countries began to decrease by 3% to 7%, depending on the region, this bad habit is still considered one of the most common and dangerous factors for human health.
The reasons why smoking worsens your health are found in the composition of tobacco and tobacco smoke: cyanide, hydrogen (called hydrocyanic acid), acetone, benzene, arsenic, and several thousands of substances enter the body in different proportions, according to several studies, they can be from 4,000 to 7,000 substances.
Among others, nicotine is also present there: the leading cause of addiction. We will talk about it and its effect on the human body in more detail today.
Nicotine’s Effect on the Body: How It Works
Once ingested, nicotine quickly enters the blood and spreads to almost all systems of the human body. Depending on the concentration, nicotine may excite or block receptors sensitive to it. In small doses, this substance causes nausea, vomiting, tremors, convulsions and contributes to increased levels of endorphins (responsible for the feeling of lightness and the appearance of a state of euphoria, one of the so-called “hormones of joy”) and serotonin (affects mood, appetite, behavior and even libido, one of the so-called “happiness hormones”). They play an important role in the development of nicotine addiction, and many researchers point out that, in terms of the strength of cravings for destructive substances, smoking is comparable to heroin or opiate use. By participating in metabolic processes, nicotine feels like a necessary and obligatory substance for life. That is its main danger.
Traditionally, the components of cigarette smoke (in literature, you can also find the name “smoke phase”) are divided into solid particles and gaseous components. According to the results of different investigations, the scientists claim that nicotine and the rest of the substances of the called “particle phase” of tobacco smoke are responsible for the chronic effects. Its spread depends directly on how a person smokes: if inhaled deeply, the particles enter the lungs, and from there with oxygen enter the blood; if the puffs are shallow, these components, passing through the oral cavity, enter the blood. In any case, regardless of the method, all these are foreign substances for the respiratory and circulatory systems, and these particles should not be there with physiological processes that flow normally.
Due to the mechanism of exposure and propagation, smoking decreases endurance and physical strength, affects the deterioration of coordination, and accelerates aging. Furthermore, when entering the esophagus, the components of cigarettes irritate the mucous membranes, making them vulnerable, and the protective layer cannot withstand such impact. As a result: nausea, heartburn, and in the future, stomach ulcer.
The brain damage is due to insufficient oxygen intake due to the interruption of oxygen supply to the blood by smoking. This leads to headaches, decreased concentration, mental and physical exercise that can support the body. In addition, nicotine use by affecting the brain can increase irritability, the frequency of mood swings, and the likelihood of depression. By the way, again, due to the effect of nicotine on hormones, the genital glands and thyroid suffer. As a result, a decrease in sexual desire, in men, an increased risk of impotence; in women, an irregular cycle and a high risk of infertility.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States have taken scientific works as a reference for many years, noting that, on average, smoking reduces life expectancy by 10 years. After smokers reach the age of 40, for each year they continue this harmful habit, another 3 months are removed annually. Among the causes of premature death between nicotine dependents, the three main ones are in this order: lung cancer, acute cardiovascular disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Respiratory Diseases Caused by Smoking: How Nicotine Impacts the Lungs
In addition to the oral cavity, the lungs are among the first to receive a blow from a puff coveted for a dependent person. Toxic substances that enter the body in the form of tobacco smoke damage the airways and pulmonary alveoli (small air sacs): in the future, this leads to severe diseases. From the first manifestations of poisoning of the body, you can observe cough, difficulty breathing, and weakness, the manifestation of a cold in the respiratory system is becoming more frequent. Smoking with diagnosed asthma is extremely bad; tobacco smoke causes attacks and aggravates them.
The so-called “smoker’s cough” with phlegm secretion and difficulty breathing are the first signs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. If the symptoms are ignored, it is possible to contract a progressive and highly debilitating lung disease.
In general, the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the common name for diseases of this organ, among which are chronic bronchitis and emphysema, known by many. Because the airways are damaged in smokers, and part of the lung tissue is destroyed, aggravating this condition with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will cause difficulty breathing, negatively affecting the quality of life. In addition, people addicted to smoking have a higher risk of dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than non-smokers.
Of course, it is impossible to avoid the cancer issue. Lung cancer, like other diseases, now occurs more often due to the increase in the number of young smokers. However, smoking is still considered the cause of most lung cancer cases, although there are exceptions.
People exposed to this bad habit may first notice a dry cough, which then turns into lung pain accompanied by weakness, increased fatigue, and decreased performance. And only then, difficulty breathing and almost imminent death.
Switching from cigarettes to alternative forms of smoking in the case of lung diseases will not help and, in some cases, will even worsen the situation. First, the smoke, even from tobacco heating systems, remains toxic to the human body. Secondly, if the cigarette runs out at some point, then with other devices, people rarely control the number of puffs, causing much more unique damage to your body.
Cardiovascular Risks of Smoking: What Nicotine Does to Your Heart
Due to the fact that nicotine easily enters the blood, it can affect not only the activity of the nervous system but also the cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, sensory, and even eye systems.
For smokers, diseases of the cardiovascular system that develop in the context of a bad habit are the most dangerous since almost half (about 48%) of premature deaths among nicotine-dependent people are associated with them.
As we have already pointed out, while smoking, instead of entering the necessary amount of oxygen, what enters the body is tobacco smoke. Then through the lungs or oral cavity, nicotine and other substances, including carbon dioxide, enter the blood, taking the place of oxygen and other nutrients. Therefore, through the blood to each organ, along with the “fuel,” does not reach healthy substances, and also presents another problem: due to the fact that smoking damages the structure of the lungs, the diffusion area decreases, and the volume of oxygen supplied to the organism decreases. And in this case, everything that enters the organism can certainly not replace oxygen, which is not called the fuel necessary for the proper functioning and development of the human organism.
Our body, of course, responds to this by trying to compensate for the lack of healthy substances, and in this sense, smokers first of all present heart rhythm disorders and a periodic increase in blood pressure, which can become hypertension. Also, in an attempt to solve the problem of lack of oxygen, the body can increase the mass of the myocardium and increase the performance of the blood vessels, which hurts them: therefore, by trying to escape from this situation, the body destroys itself.
Smoking one cigarette a day or more contributes 2 or 3 times to the development of aneurysms, coronary insufficiency (interruption of blood flow to the heart), increases the risk of stroke, coronary disease, and myocardial infarction. Due to frequent smoking, the heart muscle wears out sooner than it could; and this is also affected by nicotine. Under its effect, the tone of the blood vessels increases, and spasms are possible, which not only hurts them directly, but also increases the burden on the heart. This is made even worse by the loss of vascular elasticity.
Of course, diseases of the respiratory and cardiovascular systems are not the only ones on the list of all those that can affect the organism under the influence of smoking and components of tobacco smoke. Unfortunately, to talk confidently about chronic diseases of smokers, you need a more complete and clear picture, but people exposed to this bad habit rarely lead a healthy lifestyle. This significantly expands the range of factors to consider when evaluating the effects of nicotine and other substances on the human body. However, the most effective way to delay the development of any smoking-related disease is still to stop this bad habit.
Debunking Myths About Nicotine and Smoking
Like everything in our lives, smoking also managed to develop many myths. Some of them arose because of a misunderstanding of the working mechanism of the toxic substances that make up cigarettes, something that tobacco companies imposed. In this part of the article, we will describe the most popular myths (and why they are not true).
- Nicotine acts as a sedative, which means smoking cures stress.
This myth is perhaps one of the most logical: some studies confirm that nicotine is an analgesic due to its effects on the cardiovascular system and the production of various hormones. But, first, in most of these studies, nicotine was used in its pure form and did not enter the body through cigarettes.
Second, substances that may be found in tobacco, rather than causing the desired relaxation, “inhibit” areas of the central nervous system.
Nicotine in small doses excites the nervous system and, in large doses, depresses it.
The feeling of relaxation when smoking probably is not due to exposure to substances but because it is a kind of ritual, an anchor: I took a cigarette in my hand, inhaled it, and exhaled, and I feel as if life had become easier. Although in a stressful situation, the best and even more useful will be to simply breathe deeply, because, contrary to a popular misconception, nicotine does not have a calming effect and on the contrary, its impact on the body can become the reason why you put yourself at risk of living 10 years less than people who do not smoke.
- Nicotine helps to lose weight and if I stop smoking, I will gain weight.
Unfortunately for many smokers, this myth is not true. Regarding the first part, this is not a story about weight loss, but about the violation of the normal nutritional process. Nicotine that acts on the brain affects even the area responsible for whetting the appetite when food is in front of you. As a result, the body does not receive the necessary signal to begin the digestive process, and it seems that you are not hungry even at the sight of a delicious dish. In other words, smoking does not help to lose weight, but interferes with the complete nutrition of the body, because of which it is actually possible to reduce weight, however, with potentially damaging consequences for health.
As for the second part of this myth, weight gain is not due to the rejection of nicotine directly. A person quitting smoking often tries to fill the void, and food acts in this role. In this case, limited consumption of high-calorie foods, proper physical activity, and support from loved ones will help maintain weight and not increase it due to the feeling of situational stress.
- Smoking light cigarettes, e-cigarettes, hookahs and tobacco heating systems is not as harmful to the body as conventional cigarettes and are safe ways to smoke.
This myth arose largely thanks to the manufacturers of the products listed above. Even if you omit the fact that foreign substances that enter with steam or smoke damage your lungs, such products, like conventional cigarettes, contain nicotine. And since it is responsible, even for the formation of addiction, there is more risk of smoking since the habit of receiving a specific dose remains. No technology in the world makes the process of entering foreign and harmful substances into the body safe.
- If you smoke for a long time, it is better for the body not to quit.
This myth is often complemented by the idea that the damage caused to the body is irreparable, which means that this destructive habit must be maintained and continued, so that it does not get worse. Actually, it’s never too late to quit. And Yes, it is absolutely true that regular intake of tobacco and nicotine can cause irreversible damage to the entire organism.
This does not mean at all that a former smoker can’t be unable to improve his physical condition.
Even if the former smoker suffered from diseases caused by smoking, after giving up this harmful habit, the first improvements would come from the first day: the oxygen level in the blood will begin to normalize, and nicotine will be eliminated. After a couple of days and in the first week, the senses of taste and smell will start to improve and find their normal levels.
In 2-3 weeks, nicotine will disappear completely from the body, in 12 weeks, the cardiovascular system will reach normal condition. Cough, shortness of breath, and other respiratory problems will no longer be your permanent companions after 7 to 9 months. In the next 5 years, the risk of myocardial infarction will be reduced by about 50%, and in 10 years, the risks of other diseases will be lower and will be at the risk level for non-smokers. Of course, it is better not to smoke at all, and if you have started, quit as soon as possible.
No matter how long you started actively smoking, getting rid of dependence will reduce the burden on the lungs, heart, and help you restore the body as much as possible.
- This is my choice, my personal business, and it does not concern anyone.
Perhaps the most dangerous mistake. Everyone is talking about passive smoking everywhere: smoking is hazardous for both smokers and those nearby. Your right to this addiction goes against everyone else’s right to breathe clean air. Smoking damages your body and endangers the health of the people around you: your acquaintances and strangers.
And no, there is no such thing as “safe” tobacco smoke: even exhaled by smokers, this smoke contains all those thousands of substances that poison the body (and the environment!). Moreover, some people are usually exposed to smoking as passive smokers, for example, due to the couple or parents’ habit, which puts them at high risk of developing cardiovascular and respiratory diseases compared to those not faced with this situation.
There is no safe level of passive smoking. It can be argued that a single case does not make a big difference, but there is more than one person in the world who smokes. And statistically, just under 50 percent of the world’s children are exposed to dangerous effects on their bodies, and they did not choose to do so. Pregnant women have not chosen to risk their health and the health of their future children, and more than 50 million of them become passive smokers each year.
Therefore, the next time your argument “for” will be precisely the right to choose, think about those whom you deprive of this right. Are you ready to risk the health of your loved ones?
While nicotine’s negative effects on the body are clear, it’s also important to consider how daily lifestyle choices, like work-life balance, play a role in cardiovascular health. Read more about this in our article, “Work-life Balance: How It Impacts Your Cardiovascular Health”.
