home Folk remedies How smoking harms your health. List of harmful substances. Why smoking is bad for your health

How smoking harms your health. List of harmful substances. Why smoking is bad for your health

Addictions are dangerous addictions that sometimes cause harm to the human body. irreparable harm. Many people know the harm that smoking causes, but not everyone can assess the real risk and give up the habit. Even manufacturers talk about the dangers of addiction. The legislator forces citizens to be warned about the consequences of smoking.

How do cigarettes affect the body? All doctors know that there is not a single cigarette that would allow the body to become younger and get rid of any ailment. Addiction has a negative impact on every organ and body. That is why smoking is called a real scourge of modern humanity. Every effort is being made to combat such habits - from promoting the dangers of smoking in schools to signs and billboards, to visually demonstrating “smoky lungs” in many cabinets of curiosities.

Doctors quite rightly equate an addiction to alcohol addiction. The manufacturer “tells” about the harm caused by smoking cigarettes by providing relevant information on cigarette packs. Numerous studies have proven that long-term smoking leads to death, and women are deprived of the opportunity to become a happy mother of healthy babies.

Smoking: a perspective on history

In the past, no one wondered whether nicotine was harmful. The fact is that such an addiction appeared first in America, from where it spread throughout the planet. The Indians grew tobacco everywhere on their prairies, and then dried it, rolled it and smoked the leaves. In the distant past, the Indians had waste from processing tobacco. Modern production is capable of processing even stems that were not previously used for smoking.

After landing on the shores of America, Columbus received a dangerous gift from the locals - a tobacco bush. The navigator did not appreciate such a greeting, and the very first smokers in Europe were sent to jail for their addiction. In those days, no one knew about the effect of smoking on the human body, but the habit was considered dangerous and was strictly punished according to the laws of the church.

However, smokers turned out to be more stubborn than church dogmas, and therefore already in the middle of the 16th century the first tobacco bushes appeared on the plantations of Spain. The first smokers who did not care about the harm smoking caused to the body were representatives of high society. They also became the first tobacco monopolists, who diligently hooked the whole of Europe on tobacco.

The decisive step of the monopolists in distributing the terrible poison was the inclusion of several packs of cigarettes in the soldiers’ rations. And if during the war the manufacturer suffered losses, then after its end the level of demand for products increased significantly. At the same time, tobacco began to be explored. Doctors and scientists have realized that smoking is harmful. Today every preschooler knows about this, and cigarette packs have received corresponding inscriptions. And since smoking is harmful to health, many young people advocate a healthy lifestyle. However, there are still smokers who need to be reminded why smoking is harmful to health.

The harm of tobacco: what do passive and active smokers inhale?

There is such a thing as a passive smoker. He may never smoke either an electronic or a classic cigarette.

u. But he still feels the harm from smoking, especially if he has to a large number of time with a person who neither wants nor strives to get rid of the habit.

It is important to understand that a cigarette is not a harmless compact toy. This is a real monster, wrapped up in a decent package. One single rolled-up cigarette or cigar contains up to 4 thousand hazardous substances. This chemical “cocktail” systematically affects one organ after another, affects the body, and can lead to death.

The harm of cigarettes lies in their contents. Particularly dangerous components are considered:

Arsenic is the most harmful and carcinogenic element found in tobacco. This substance only accumulates in the body, is practically not excreted, reduces the function of all organs, and negatively affects the heart muscle and blood vessels. It is arsenic that will provoke the occurrence and growth of cancerous tumors.
Resins are a complex of solid particles that, under the influence elevated temperature enter the body, settle on the walls of the lungs, and are a carcinogen.
Polonium is a radioactive element that, from within, has extremely negative impact and gradually kills the body.
Benzene is a toxic element of organic origin. It enters the body along with smoke and provokes the growth of tumors.
Formaldehydes are substances that have toxic properties. They cause defeat respiratory tract and lung diseases.
Other dangerous substances - there is a whole set of them and each component brings its own small death, first to the cells, then to the organs, and then to the entire body. After prolonged and many years of smoking, it is possible to restore the body, but it takes years, and some smokers do not have them.

The effect of smoking on the body is clear. In the distant past, tobacco was prescribed as an effective measure against migraines. This process provided only temporary relief, but damaged the blood vessels, circulatory system, heart muscle, systematically destroyed all organs.

No note to smokers! Don't think that smoking is harmless. Even those people who have just become addicted to an addiction are already subject to negative influence. The harm of tobacco is that it emits dangerous substances, albeit in micro amounts. Gradually they accumulate in the body and are not excreted. Scientists have concluded that the harm of smoking is that one pack of cigarettes is equivalent to 500 roentgens of radiation.

Disappointing statistics

Smoking and its effects on humans have been studied by scientists for a long time. That is why there are few smokers among them. The main task of scientists is to prove the harm of smoking and convince the world's population to give up the deadly habit. Research is constantly being carried out, which has confirmed that smoking is a scourge. developing countries with an unstable economy. Here, children in schools and the younger generation are not told how harmful cigarettes can be to the body.

Statistics show that in countries with poor hygiene culture, more than 60% of the population smokes. The danger is that a quarter of those addicted are teenagers who are just starting to live, and their bodies are growing. At this young age, he receives a whole bunch of diseases that he will have to fight with throughout his life.

What will be affected first?

Smoking is harmful to health - this is an undeniable fact. To tell the younger generation about this, schools are creating special programs that are designed to convey exactly what is harmful to human health. Often, special films and videos can be shown as demonstration material, and meetings can be arranged with former smokers and those who are just trying to get rid of the habit.

Tobacco smoking and its impact on human health is a topic for many scientific discussions, but one thing is clear - any cigarettes, even light ones, cause harm.

The first to suffer are the lungs, which take the brunt of the blow. The emitted smoke and concentrate of hazardous substances cause harm to the entire respiratory system - the resins envelop the walls of the bronchi, after which they make them brittle, depriving them of elasticity and the ability to resist pathogenic microflora.

How does the respiratory system suffer?

Often an unpleasant, but quite natural and expected surprise for a smoker is the appearance of pulmonary emphysema. This is a disease that leads to hypoxia of internal organs, and the lungs themselves cease to perform their functions. Gradually the cells lung tissue literally corroded by vapors and resins, and then begin to be replaced by malignant ones.

Quite quickly, the smoker will feel that there is an unpleasant shortness of breath; he cannot perform normally. physical exercise, swim and run. He will require numerous stops while exercising. A cough becomes a constant companion of a smoker; it appears in the morning and after each cigarette smoked.

Often the lungs become a black rotting mass. This is clearly visible upon opening. Such “exhibits” often end up in cabinets of curiosities and become clear demonstration consequences bad habit.

If anyone is wondering whether smoking is harmful to the body, doctors suggest conducting a simple test to dispel doubts. Take a mouthful cigarette smoke, and then release it into a napkin or gauze folded several times. After the first time, the material will turn an unpleasant brown-brown shade. These are resins with full complex harmful substances. They settle on the walls of the lungs, and the temperature of such vapor reaches 700–900 degrees. It burns the mucous membrane, literally burns the cells.

The external consequences of cigarettes are an unpresentable appearance, a grayish complexion, early wrinkles, and also cracked tooth enamel. Often this is a kind of indicator that will allow you to find out how long the addiction has been.

You have to go to the dentist quite often after smoking. An unpleasant yellowish coating and a mass of black tartar appear on the surface of the teeth. They have to be removed several times a year. And the enamel becomes fragile due to constant temperature changes and the habit of smoking several cigarettes a day. Resins get clogged into microcracks, and therefore the teeth become black. Large cracks lead to the death of the tooth root and its blackening. Only crowns and dental implants can correct the situation.

Smoking is harmful - this is an immutable truth that is well known to all doctors. Cardiologists were no exception. Often their patients are smokers. They suffer from constant exposure to steam and tar, as well as nicotine, which dilates the blood vessels - they become brittle.

The consequences of long-term smoking are thrombosis, ischemic and Buerger's disease. Dangerous manifestations also include disorders in peripheral blood vessels, and with a long history of smoking, the risk of developing strokes and heart attacks increases many times over.

Oral cavity

The companion of a heavy smoker is a foul-smelling disease - halitosis. It is called bad breath, which becomes a constant companion of the smoker and is not interrupted by any chewing gum or sprays. Smoking is extremely dangerous for the mucous membranes, including the oral cavity. Hot tobacco smoke provokes constant inflammatory processes, even tooth loss. Another problem for smokers is imbalance acid-base environment V oral cavity. Constant smoking leads to the development of gum disease - periodontal disease.

How does the genitourinary system suffer from smoking?

Another system of the body that suffers from smoking is the genitourinary system. Constant smoking leads to a reduction in the amount of oxygen supplied and transported. Blood flow decreases along with the fact that cholesterol and dangerous substances are deposited on the walls of blood vessels. The kidneys can suffer, as well as the entire reproductive system. Men often experience sexual impotence, which cannot always be overcome with strong stimulant drugs.

Smoking also harms the genitourinary system. Frequent consequences Women experience anovulatory cycles and menstrual dysfunction. Men will suffer no less - in the stronger half, the number and level of sperm motility decreases over time, it is noted erectile disfunction etc.

Musculoskeletal system

Smoking cigarettes will lead to the gradual destruction of the skeleton; ligaments, muscles, and tendons will constantly suffer from tobacco smoke. Influenced toxic substances Calcium absorption is blocked/reduced, which is fraught with an increase in the number of fractures and the development of osteoporosis. Long-term smokers often suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

Other organs

Smoking affects not only the organs described above. Negative effects are felt by all systems of the body, including the gastrointestinal tract, brain, bone, leather. Frequent companions of a dangerous habit are various diseases eyes (loss of visual acuity, destruction of the retina, etc.). Besides specified diseases, smokers are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. They automatically fall into the risk group for the development of such diseases: hearing loss, atherosclerosis.

The undeniable harm of smoking: what consequences can we expect?

The extent to which smoking affects human health is constantly being studied by the scientific community. Research laboratories report the results of dozens of studies every day. The misconception that smoking is not dangerous is long gone. Tobacco was once considered a real panacea, but today even a child knows about the dangers of nicotine.

Blood enriched with dangerous carcinogenic substances spreads in the body, it saturates internal organs poison. This is a dangerous trend that can lead to the formation of pathologies.

Why is smoking harmful for men? You should quit this bad habit because it leads to:

Chronic bronchitis;
Tuberculosis, decreased immunity;
The formation of malignant tumors;
Progression of retinal dystrophy;
Pneumonia;
Decreased erectile function;
Cracking of enamel and numerous diseases of the oral cavity, etc.

Doctors never tire of reminding us what consequences smoking tobacco can have. This is a negative habit that gradually leads to infertility, as well as the formation of pathologies. The issue is especially acute for smokers with a decent amount of experience, as well as for men whose age has already exceeded the 40-year mark.

Smoking: what is the harm for a woman?

Women who smoke often face the problem of infertility. The issue is especially acute for those who are addicted to smoking in at a young age. Cigarettes harm literally all systems and organs, regardless of a woman’s age. Smoking often leads to problems with:

Bearing a child. A woman who smokes cigarettes during pregnancy risks the health of her baby. He may be born with pathologies. There is a danger of spontaneous abortion in the early stages.
Vessels and heart. Smoking causes myocardial infarction and vascular obstruction.
The skin becomes dull and ages prematurely.
Hair and nails, the figure and the whole will suffer appearance. Contrary to the general belief that smoking helps you lose weight, smokers often exceed the weight limit. Fat finds its place more on the waist and chest, and its amount decreases on the hips. This leads to imbalances.
With teeth - the enamel is covered with a thin mesh, and the formed microgrooves are filled with resins, turning black or yellow.
Peristalsis - the vessels of the stomach and the entire digestive tract are constantly narrowing, which leads to problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
Mental state. Smoking harms not only physiology, but also causes irreparable harm to the psyche. Women who smoke are susceptible to depression, they suffer from prolonged stress, as well as relapses.

Smoking is a pathological habit that also harms the child. The growing body learns a lot from its parents. Often such habits become the norm of life.

How does smoking harm teenagers and children?

Smoking harms the normal growth and development of the growing body. Often people who are addicted to cigarettes in childhood die early from cancer. In dysfunctional families, smoking becomes the norm already at the age of 13–14, when the body still needs to devote all its strength to strengthening bones, respiratory organs, genitourinary system etc. It is the cigarette that is capable of:

Reduce the intellectual abilities of a young organism, reduce motor skills.
Lead to neoplasms.
Have a negative impact on the mental state.
Lead to infertility in the future.
Disturb the growth process of the body.
Lead to weight gain and imbalance of waist and hip circumferences.

From smoking in early age All organs and systems of the body will be affected. Young people who are addicted to dangerous habit, are at risk of getting diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular and nervous systems, and musculoskeletal system. This is due to the fact that the blood supplies concentrated dangerous substances to each organ, and this leads to the formation of various pathologies.

What diseases does smoking cause?

Cigarettes are harmful to smoke because they provoke pathological changes in organism:

However, there is another consequence of smoking - cancer. Substances that are present in smoke provoke the growth of malignant pathological neoplasms. Coping with such consequences without serious and expensive treatment impossible. This is why it is important for parents to explain to their child why smoking is harmful.

Don't forget the harm smoking brings to others. It is colossal, since it is passive smokers who receive the lion's share of harmful substances. Giving up a bad habit is a benefit not only for yourself, but also for those around you. Nicotine in tobacco smoke can cause allergic reaction and increased heart rate. In some people, this component causes asthma attacks. When faced with, you need to be wary of the effects of combustible tobacco, and this is:

Eye irritation and other allergic reactions.
Depression and stress.
Sore and dry throat.
Coughing attacks.
Risk spontaneous miscarriage(especially dangerous in the first trimester of pregnancy).
Decrease in labor productivity and efficiency.

Information about the dangers of smoking is available to everyone. Many people know that passive smoking is often more dangerous than active smoking, and therefore should not be tolerated. As soon as someone nearby begins to “smoke”, you should make a remark or simply move away to a safe distance.

Can smoking become harmless?

The World Health Organization published the results practical research. They point out that, despite all the warnings about the dangers of smoking, people quite consciously continue to abuse cigarettes. That is why research companies do everything necessary to make the pathological habit safe. This is how an alternative was created - the electronic cigarette.

In the process of smoking a special mixture, only nicotine is released. The proposed liquid is devoid of carcinogens and dangerous chemical compounds released during the smoldering of tobacco. Nicotine is harmful to health because it is addictive, but the smoke does not contain dangerous hydrocyanic acid and carbon dioxide, formaldehyde and heavy metals. There is also no unpleasant odor.

Among the popular and sought-after new products is smokeless tobacco. It's about about Swedish snus and snuff. The first one is for chewing. The soaked mass is placed on a short time between the gum and lip, however, such a hobby is also harmful to health. In some countries, such tobacco is equated to narcotic substances and is prohibited for sale and use.

The dangers of smoking during pregnancy

“Smoking is harmful to your health” is a postulate familiar from childhood. However, some expectant mothers simply forget how smoking is harmful to health. And the risks are enormous for both the mother and the unborn baby.

Children who suffer from nicotine and all dangerous substances in smoke in the womb are more likely than other babies to suffer from neuropsychological defects.

We should not forget about the possibility of other pathologies and the risk of spontaneous abortion. Smoking future daddies should also remember about the second-hand smoke of their other halves. You should smoke your cigarette away from the woman so as not to harm her.

Dangerous consequences

The effect of tobacco on the human body is clear - this product causes irreparable harm to health. You should think about the fact that healthy children are born to those who do not have bad habits at all. Experienced smokers may not have children at all. But these are not the only troubles among the dangerous consequences.

Almost 300 different substances, most of which harms the smoker's health and has a detrimental effect on various organs and systems of the body, isolated from tobacco smoke. Let's look at some of them in more detail.
Why is smoking harmful to health?
Because for every 100 grams of tobacco, when burned, 5-7 grams of tobacco tar are released. It contains benzopyrene (a first class carcinogen), benzathracene and other resins that contribute to the occurrence of malignant tumors. Meanwhile, 700-800 grams of tar enter the body of a person who smokes one pack of cigarettes or cigarettes every day.
also because: from radioactive elements that penetrate the smoker’s body, greatest danger represents polonium-210. This element is absorbed from the air by tobacco leaves. When they are dried, the concentration of polonium-210 in tobacco increases even more. When radioactive polonium enters the body through tobacco smoke, it accumulates in the bronchi and lungs, as well as in the kidneys and liver. The half-life of this element is sufficient for it to concentrate in the body of a heavy smoker in quantities that significantly exceed the established permissible standards.

Because when tobacco burns, carbon monoxide is released ( carbon monoxide), which has the property of binding the respiratory pigment of the blood - hemoglobin. This produces carboxyhemoglobin. It cannot carry oxygen. This is why tissue respiration processes are disrupted in the body. When smoking a pack of cigarettes, a person introduces over 400 milliliters of carbon monoxide into the body. Therefore, the concentration of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood increases to 7-10%. And it turns out that all the organs and systems of the smoker’s body are constantly starved of oxygen.
Smokers harm more than just their health. Those who do not smoke, but are in a closed, poorly ventilated room with him, inhale up to 80% of all substances contained in cigarette smoke. Such passive smoking - staying in an atmosphere of “tobacco smog” - like smoking, is especially harmful to the health of pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers, for children and adolescents, the elderly and those suffering chronic diseases cardiovascular system and respiratory organs.
Experimental and clinical researchers have found that the respiratory organs are the first to take on the tobacco assault. Statistics show: Lung cancer affects smokers 10 times more often than non-smokers. Of 100 people who become ill with pulmonary tuberculosis as adults, 95 have a long history of smoking.
Smoking is harmful to health because, passing through the respiratory tract, tobacco smoke causes irritation and inflammation of the mucous membranes of the pharynx, nasopharynx, trachea, bronchi, and pulmonary alveoli. Constant exposure to the bronchial mucosa can cause the development of bronchial asthma. Chronic inflammation upper respiratory tract, chronic bronchitis, accompanied by a debilitating cough - these are the diseases of almost all smokers. Chronic bronchitis affects smokers 5 times more often than those who quit smoking, and 7 times more often than never smokers. Undoubtedly, a connection has also been established between smoking and the incidence of cancer of the lip, tongue, larynx, and trachea.

Since nicotine and other components of tobacco also affect the digestive organs. Scientific research And clinical observations indicate that long-term smoking contributes to the occurrence of gastric and duodenal ulcers.
In a person who smokes a lot and for a long time, the vessels of the stomach are constantly in spasm. As a result, the stomach tissues are poorly supplied with oxygen and nutrients, the secretion of gastric juice is impaired. And as a result - gastritis or peptic ulcer. A survey was conducted in one of the Moscow clinics, which showed that 69% of patients peptic ulcer the occurrence and development of the disease was directly related to smoking. Of the patients operated on in this clinic for perforated ulcers, about 90% were heavy smokers.

Since the components of tobacco smoke have a detrimental effect on the cardiovascular system. Damage to the heart and blood vessels in people who smoke heavily and regularly is usually a consequence of a violation of the nervous and humoral regulation of the cardiovascular system.
The data provided by researchers on the dependence of the condition of the heart vessels on the number of cigarettes smoked is impressive. In those who smoke an average of 38 packs of cigarettes per month, one heart artery is affected, 45 packs - two arteries, 67 packs - three arteries. As you can see, the more a person smokes, the more negatively it affects his health.
Let's focus on only two substances - nicotine and carbon monoxide, extremely harmful to the smoker's health and affecting cardiovascular activity. When smoking a pack of cigarettes, 0.09 grams of nicotine and 369 cubic centimeters of carbon monoxide enter the body. Nicotine causes vasoconstriction. Thus, it helps to increase blood pressure. How does the heart react to it? The rhythm of its contractions becomes more frequent and interruptions occur.

In addition, nicotine, stimulating the sympathetic nervous system, enhances the function of the glands controlled by it internal secretion. Where does this lead? An excessive amount of biologically active substances is released into the blood, which negatively affects the heart and blood vessels, contributing, in particular, to the narrowing of the arteries that supply blood to vital organs - the heart, brain, kidneys. Those who, in an unfavorable situation, at a moment of nervous tension or stress, rush to light a cigarette to “calm down” need to know about this. However, let’s figure out what such “calmness” actually means. Nervous overstrain is usually accompanied by a sharp increase in the content of certain hormones (norepinephrine, adrenaline) in the blood. In excess quantities they harm the heart and blood vessels. Nicotine also stimulates the release of hormones into the blood. Therefore they destructive effect intensifies. So, objectively, the body begins to experience even greater stress and thus smoking is harmful to health.
Recently, observations have emerged proving that smoking activates coagulation processes and weakens anti-coagulation processes (especially in women). And this leads to thrombosis.
As for carbon monoxide, its harm has been known since ancient times. However, only relatively recently it was discovered that, once in the body, it combines with the hemoglobin of erythrocytes. A stable compound is formed - carboxyhemoglobin. The red blood cells loaded with it are no longer able to transport oxygen to the tissues - oxygen deficiency occurs.
U heavy smokers the concentration of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood reaches 7-10%. This reduces the ability to deliver oxygen to the heart muscle by a third or even half.

Now let’s take this situation: despite the doctor’s prohibitions, a person suffering from coronary heart disease continues to smoke. Due to the narrowing and spasm of the coronary vessels, insufficient oxygen reaches the heart. The lack of it is further increased by smoking a cigarette (due to a decrease in the amount of oxygen circulating in the blood). Smoking is especially dangerous under conditions of physical or emotional stress. A person usually lights a cigarette to take a break from work, relax or calm down, but tobacco smoke “hits” the heart. Heart pain occurs, and an attack of increased heart rate may begin.
Numerous experiments have shown that after smoking a cigarette or cigarette, the amount of corticosteroids circulating in the blood, as well as adrenaline and norepinephrine, sharply increases compared to the norm; they seriously harm the health of the smoker. These are biologically active substances encourage the heart muscle to work at a faster pace. At the same time, the cardiac output increases, blood pressure rises, and the rate of myocardial contractions increases.
It is estimated that the heart of a smoker makes 12-15 thousand more contractions per day than the heart of a non-smoker. This regimen in itself is uneconomical, since constant excessive load leads to premature wear of the heart muscle. But the situation is further aggravated by the fact that the myocardium does not receive the amount of oxygen it needs during such intense work.
The coronary vessels of a smoker are constantly spasmed, narrowed and, therefore, the flow of blood through them is very difficult. The blood circulating in the smoker’s body is poor in oxygen, because almost 25% of hemoglobin is excluded from the respiratory process: they are forced to carry unnecessary ballast - carbon monoxide molecules. This is why smokers develop ischemic disease heart, angina. And quite rightly, among the risk factors for myocardial infarction, experts cite smoking as one of the first. A convincing confirmation of this is the following fact: heart attacks at a relatively young age (40-50 years old) occur exclusively in smokers. This once again proves that smoking is harmful to health!
Tobacco lovers have a much more severe course of hypertension than non-smokers: it is more often complicated by hypertensive crises, cerebrovascular accidents, and stroke.
A few words about the “pleasant” sensations that supposedly arise during smoking. They are deceptive. Smoking does not at all increase strength, but on the contrary, reduces performance. A study conducted by employees of the Institute of Preventive Cardiology of the All-Russian Scientific Research Center of the USSR Academy of Medical Sciences showed that during training on a bicycle ergometer, smokers can perform a significantly smaller amount of work than non-smokers. A less economical mode of operation of the heart muscle of a smoker under load is evidenced by a higher heart rate than that of non-smokers.

Since tobacco potion, in addition, affects the central nervous system, endocrine glands, reduces sexual function, vision, hearing... There is practically no important organ or system in the human body that does not suffer from chronic poisoning from tobacco products.
It is well known about the enormous value of vitamin C in the life of the body. Numerous studies show that smokers vitamin C deficiency caused by poor absorption of ascorbic acid. Let us recall that C-vitamin activity is equally exhibited by both ascorbic acid, and its oxidized form - dehydroascorbic acid. Typically, vitamin C passes through the membranes of small intestinal cells in the form of dehydroascorbic acid, which is then easily converted back into ascorbic acid. It turned out that in smokers the process of converting dehydroascorbic acid into ascorbic acid is sharply inhibited. Because of this, even with a sufficient supply of vitamin C, the body constantly experiences its deficiency.
Researchers were interested in the question, which of the numerous substances formed during the combustion of tobacco is most responsible for disrupting the C-vitamin balance in the body?
The main culprit turned out to be acrolein, one of the components of tobacco smoke. It is this substance, easily penetrating the body, that prevents the conversion of dehydroascorbic acid into ascorbic acid. Getting into the body even in small quantities (when a person smokes little), acrolein acts for a long time and does its dirty work. Therefore, C-hypovitaminosis is observed not only in heavy smokers, but also in those who smoke less than 15 cigarettes per day. Moreover, vitamin C deficiency sometimes develops in passive smokers, those who do not smoke but are exposed to tobacco smoke on a daily basis.
Irritability, fatigue, poor appetite, sleep disturbances, and frequent colds in smokers are explained by hypovitaminosis C caused by smoking. Smoking is harmful to health by destroying essential vitamin C..

Since it is one of the main reasons for the development of an extremely serious disease - obliterating endarteritis. This disease affects vascular system legs, sometimes up to the complete closure of the lumen of the vessels and the occurrence of gangrene. In people who do not poison themselves with tobacco, this disease occurs extremely rarely (in 14% of cases in smokers, and in 0.3% in non-smokers).

Our country is no exception: the existing anti-smoking laws in Russia impose restrictions on the sale of tobacco products to minors and limit smoking in in public places, it is prohibited in educational and medical institutions. And still no one is protected from harmful influence smoking - even if you don’t smoke yourself, you are often a “passive smoker”, forced to inhale tobacco smoke while being around smokers.

In Russia, 65% of men and over 30% of women smoke. Of these, 80% of men and 50% of women started smoking in adolescence. Over the past 20 years, the proportion of smokers has increased by 440 thousand people, and this is due to young people and women. At the age of 15-19 years, 40% of boys and 7% of girls smoke.

According to WHO, the impact of smoking on a person is so high that on average, every six seconds, one person dies from tobacco-related diseases in the world, and five million people die from this cause every year. If the trend of increasing smoking prevalence continues unabated, 10 million people are projected to die prematurely each year by 2020. And by 2030, the impact of smoking on human health will become one of the strongest factors leading to premature death.

Who pushes us to smoke? These are, first of all, adults who constantly tell children about the dangers of smoking, but nevertheless continue to do it themselves. Teenagers, despite the nausea, vile taste and smell, start smoking to look “modern and cool”, and only after a while they realize that they have fallen into a trap. This happens when serious problems arise due to the effects of smoking on the body, related to health, lack of money, or the fact that we have once again been made to feel like “lepers,” since smoking is now recognized as an antisocial phenomenon.

All smokers are aware of the health effects of smoking and regret ever picking up their first cigarette, but most continue to smoke because they are aware of the devastating health effects of nicotine. In addition, a smoker always stands out with darkened teeth, heavy breathing, and prematurely aged skin.

Why smoking is bad for your health

Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health, but what exactly happens to our body when smoking? Our bronchi are lined with ciliated epithelium, which is very vulnerable and sensitive to the influence of the external environment. The negative impact of smoking on the human body is, first of all, superficial burns of the bronchi. Over time, this leads to the death of the epithelium, which in turn creates conditions for penetration various infections, as well as for the development of oncological pathology, tuberculosis and other diseases.

The lungs suffer from carcinogenic tars and radioactive substances contained in tobacco, blood vessels, the muscles and all organs of the smoker are exposed to oxygen starvation. The harm of smoking is also that this habit causes changes in the body that can manifest themselves decades and even a generation later.

You can give an endless list of how smoking is harmful, and name many diseases that arise as a result of inhaling tobacco smoke, ranging from cardiovascular diseases to cancer.

Why is smoking harmful to health?

Nicotine increases heart rate, narrows arteries, increases blood pressure Therefore, smoking is one of the three main risk factors for coronary artery disease.

Smoking is also harmful to the body because smokers have a significantly higher risk of developing strokes.

Atherosclerosis of the arteries lower limbs, leading to their blockage with the development severe pain, and sometimes gangrene, develops in smokers 5 times more often.

In women over 35 years of age taking oral contraceptives, risk of development cardiovascular diseases low under one condition - if they do not smoke.

Another reason why smoking is harmful is that it provokes the development of tumors of the lips, tongue, pharynx, trachea, and esophagus.

Out of 100 cases of tuberculosis, up to 75 occur in smokers.

Maternal smoking during pregnancy leads to the birth of children with low survival rates.

Every “experienced” smoker suffers from a debilitating cough and headaches. Over the years, the list of physical suffering expands and becomes more and more disturbing, but does not always stop. Numerous attempts to give up this addiction lead to another breakdown, and the circle closes.

A person who finds himself dependent on smoking must realize that this is not just a habit, but a disease called nicotine addiction.

Tobacco contains nicotine, a narcotic substance that is quickly addictive to the smoker. The effect of nicotine on the brain during each puff is much faster than a dose of heroin during intravenous administration. 30 minutes after smoking, the level of nicotine in the blood drops by half, and within an hour - to one quarter. As soon as the effect of nicotine wears off, the smoker begins to feel the need for another dose, and from that moment on, EVERYTHING is subordinated only to the desire to smoke a cigarette. If a person is deprived of this opportunity, he begins to get nervous, irritated, cannot concentrate, and begins to experience a feeling similar to severe hunger.

All smokers think that quitting smoking is unbearably difficult, but nicotine is the fastest-acting drug and you will never be dependent on it for life. extreme. It takes only three weeks to remove 99% of nicotine from the body, so there is virtually no physical suffering compared to what drug addicts experience during withdrawal. Basically it's an unsettling feeling of emptiness. Breakdowns happen because it seems to a smoking person, he loses a sense of confidence, the ability to concentrate, and is deprived of great pleasure. In reality, everything happens exactly the opposite: by smoking a cigarette, the smoker only gains a state of stability for a short time and drags himself into a quagmire from which there is no way out.

Three stages of smoking

There are three stages of smoking:

Stage 1: Irregular smoking; Psychological dependence.
Stage 2: Long-term smoking; Psychophysiological dependence.
Stage 3: Heavy smoking; Physiological dependence.

Remember how you feel when you return home late and find that you have run out of cigarettes! You will feel like a prisoner until you break the chains of smoking. If your dependence on nicotine has become physiological and repeated attempts to overcome this habit have not been successful, then in this case you should not give up. Don't hide from yourself. As with any disease, there is a way out - you need to seek help from specialists.

Treatment methods for tobacco smoking

Quitting smoking is difficult due to withdrawal symptoms: insomnia, irritability, nervousness, and a tendency to gain weight. More than 50% of people who try to quit smoking return to the habit again after three months. Most smokers are well aware of the health risks of smoking, but tend to unconsciously downplay them.

Treatment for smoking should be aimed at eliminating nicotine withdrawal and symptoms of tobacco intoxication, as well as the development of a new behavioral model in the smoker. The choice of tactics in the treatment of tobacco smoking largely depends on psychological readiness patient to quit smoking.

One of the methods of treating tobacco smoking is treatment programs:

1. Educational program - “Seminar School”, which includes group and individual counseling.

2. Treatment program for patients with high degree readiness to quit smoking (for complete refusal from smoking)

Behavioral methods: self-help methods, rational psychotherapy and medical recommendations, group methods of psychological support, hypnotherapy (suggestion under hypnosis, leading to the subconscious destruction of psycho-emotional connections that caused the craving for smoking), aversion therapy (developing an aversion to smoking).

Another method of treating smoking is physiological effects.

Medication methods: nicotine replacement therapy ( chewing gum, patches, nasal sprays), psychotropic drugs.

Non-drug methods: reflexology (exposure to certain points connected by nerve pathways to specific areas of the brain with special needles). It is believed that smoking is an acquired reflex that can be corrected in this way. Adherents of acupuncture claim that high efficiency this method.

The harm of smoking light cigarettes

Many smokers, concerned about their health, try to reduce the harmful effects of tobacco by switching to so-called “light” cigarettes.

Light cigarettes are so called because they “weigh” less and differ only in the number of holes in the filter through which additional air is sucked in. Their action is based on reducing the concentration of nicotine and tar with the help of additionally sucked in air. New technologies have helped reduce the amount of tobacco leaf required per cigarette by almost half. The tobacco industry calls the new cigarettes “light” and “ultra-light.” The consumer proceeds from the assumption that if one pack of cigarettes says 10 mg of tar, and the other - 1 mg of tar, then by smoking “light” cigarettes, he will receive 10 times less tar and will be less harmful to his health. The levels indicated on the pack usually indicate the minimum level of intake of these substances into the body. The smoker still gets “his” dose of nicotine by inhaling deeper or smoking more cigarettes. That is, the harm from light cigarettes is no less than the harm from regular cigarettes.

Why are light cigarettes more harmful?

The use of sugar, honey, licorice, cocoa, chocolate and other flavorings makes cigarettes more attractive, especially to children and young people. So why are light cigarettes more harmful if they contain less tar? Cocoa also contains approximately 1% theobromine, which is a “bronchodilator” that helps dilate the airways and facilitates the passage of smoke and the absorption of nicotine. A more well-known additive is menthol, which has an anesthetic and distracting effect, making it possible to inhale deeper on such cigarettes. With deep puffs, the lower parts of the lungs are affected and the harm to the smoker’s health increases.

Many doctors believe that light cigarettes are even more harmful than regular cigarettes, since by smoking them people are deceiving themselves. It is because of “light” cigarettes that many smokers do not quit smoking, mistakenly thinking that they are thereby reducing the risk of dangerous diseases.

It is beneficial for tobacco companies to stimulate the transition to “light” cigarettes: they are more expensive, and smokers smoke more of them.

Is smoking a pipe harmful and the harm of passive smoking?

If you have been smoking for many years, it is very difficult to give up this habit. Perhaps one of the options that has crossed your mind is to switch to pipe smoking. Is smoking a pipe harmful, or is it a panacea for diseases associated with smoking? People who smoke pipes or cigars have a lower risk of developing heart disease and tumors than those who smoke cigarettes. This is largely due to the fact that when smoking a pipe or cigars, the smoker inhales almost no smoke. Therefore, smoking a pipe is harmful, since the risk of developing oral cancer is no less than that of other smokers. Remember that when you smoke a pipe, you are still inhaling tobacco smoke along with all its carcinogenic and toxic substances. This is called “passive smoking”, and the harm from passive smoking nothing less.

Cigarette smoke is divided into two streams: the main stream, which enters the smoker’s lungs when inhaling, and the side stream, from the light smoldering at the end of the cigarette.

The concentration of some harmful chemical compounds in the side stream is many times higher. It is especially sad that children often suffer. In families where parents constantly smoke, the child is 4 to 5 times more likely to get a cold, and may exhibit mental retardation and irritability.

Anti-smoking in Russia: anti-smoking laws

In Russia, on June 21, 2001, the State Duma adopted the Federal Law on Restricting Tobacco Smoking. This law aims to combat smoking "in order to reduce harmful effects tobacco smoke prohibits smoking tobacco in workplaces, in urban and suburban transport, on air transport with a flight duration of less than 3 hours, in indoor sports facilities, healthcare organizations, educational organizations, cultural organizations, premises occupied by organs state power, with the exception of smoking tobacco in designated smoking areas."

On May 21, 2003, the World Health Organization adopted the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The Convention defines the strategy for state regulation of the tobacco industry.

To combat smoking in Russia after its adoption in 1995 Federal Law“On Advertising” introduced serious restrictions on advertising of tobacco products both in the media and on outdoor advertising.

In 2004, a law was passed prohibiting the sale of tobacco products “on the territory educational institutions", as well as within a radius of 100 meters from them.

On December 9, 2005, the State Duma of the Russian Federation adopted in the first reading a law on combating smoking, which provides for punishment for smoking outside specially designated places.

Another law on smoking in Russia, adopted on April 11, 2008 by the State Duma of the Russian Federation, is the law “On the accession of the Russian Federation to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.” According to the new law, Russia will introduce strict restrictions on all types of tobacco advertising, up to a complete ban within 5 years. The fight against smoking among minors will be intensified, and the inscription warning about the dangers of smoking on cigarette packs “will have to occupy at least 30 percent of the area of the larger side of the pack.”

Our body has enormous recovery capabilities, and after some time after quitting smoking, you will feel as if you had never smoked.

The task of doctors, teachers, and the general public is to fight smoking not with prohibitions, but to convey to the minds and hearts of every person the belief that by giving up cigarettes, he can avoid many diseases and prolong life for many years.

Has at least one smoker thought about the harm he causes to his body? Every cigarette, every puff is, in fact, a small step into the grave, and you won’t be able to go there alone, because the smoker is always near his loved ones: family, friends, colleagues. By inhaling tobacco smoke, they ruin their health, destroy the immune and respiratory systems, and harm the heart and blood vessels. Children suffer the most: their body has not yet learned to protect itself from tobacco smoke, so all reactions occur twice as actively. Having smoking parents, they become familiar with shortness of breath from infancy, lingering cough and hoarseness, and every year it will only get worse - such is the price of an addiction.

The harm of smoking on the human body

Even a child knows that a drop of nicotine kills a horse. However, this fact does not make much of an impression on smokers: reassuring themselves that you can’t smoke so many cigarettes at once, they continue to slowly kill themselves, taking puff after puff. At the same time, the harm of tobacco smoke is caused not only by nicotine - it only causes attachment, and everything else destroys the body.

Along with cigarette smoke, the smoker inhales:

Arsenic. This poison causes persistent heart problems, provokes cancer and is extremely difficult to remove from the body. If you really want to taste this substance, why bother with middlemen? But no: for some reason no one drinks arsenic in pure form, but as part of cigarettes - they inhale as much as they want!
Formaldehyde. This toxic chemical compound primarily affects the respiratory system. It is noteworthy that formaldehyde is used to prepare formalin, a substance that is used by pathologists to embalm dead bodies. Indeed, why wait - you can start during your lifetime!
Polonium. Background radiation has become the scourge of our time. Contamination with radioactive substances scares people almost to the point of trembling, but 40% of the population, classified as “experienced” smokers, regularly inhale particles of polonium, which “illuminates” them from the inside.
Benzene. This organic substance is the first cause of leukemia and other forms of oncology.
Resins. The viscous cigarette smoke that a smoker breathes is not just a suspension of particles that enters the lungs and is just as easily removed from there. Most of the tars that make up cigarettes include solid particles that settle on the lungs as a black coating. Over and over again, this “dust” clogs the bronchi, reduces the volume of the lungs and, as a result, depletes the entire body of oxygen.

These substances are far from the only poison that makes up tobacco smoke. Standard chemical analysis of classic cigarettes has confirmed that each puff is a cocktail of many toxic components, including:

None of these components is safe - each of them in one way or another destroys the body, corrodes the immune system and ruins the lungs, enters the bloodstream and depresses the heart, brain and other organs, causes cell mutations and leads to the development of oncology.

What harm does smoking cause? Medical statistics

There can be a great many consequences of smoking - cigarette smoke affects almost all internal organs. However, the most common complications of this addiction are:

Chronical bronchitis;
oncological diseases respiratory system(trachea, larynx, lungs);
cardiovascular pathologies(IHD, arterial hypertension, vascular thrombosis, etc.).

It has long been statistically confirmed that in 90% of cases of lung cancer the patient has a history of smoking. In addition, mortality from bronchitis and emphysema in 75% of cases is somehow related to this addiction. And heart disease in 25% of cases in smokers is much more severe and leads to early death.

Those who have never smoked suffer from angina pectoris 13 times less often, experience a heart attack 12 times less often, and have a complicated stomach ulcer 10 times less often. There is no organ that does not suffer from cigarette smoke: on average, a smoker’s heart rate is 650 beats per hour higher than that of a smoker. non-smoking person, and even with such a load, the heart still cannot cope with providing the body with oxygen through the blood. Firstly, it enters the lungs in a much smaller volume, and secondly, carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke combines much more easily with hemoglobin, taking the place of oxygen in the body. As a result, the brain, liver, kidneys, excretory and reproductive system, and morbidity and, accordingly, mortality are growing significantly.

Scientists' opinion: articles and books about the dangers of smoking

Doctors and biologists are already tired of ringing bells: films and numerous videos have been made about the dangers of smoking, books and brochures have been published, and the number of studies exceeds all imaginable norms. One of the most popular works was Alan Carr’s book “The Easy Way to Quit Smoking.” While reading, the smoker should develop an aversion to nicotine, because the book reveals the whole ugly truth about tobacco. However, this method does not help everyone - although it has shown good results, a universal way to quit smoking, except, perhaps, willpower and the desire to prolong your life, has not yet been invented.

However, many quotes make smokers look at cigarettes differently:

“The only reason any smoker lights a cigarette is to try to put an end to the feeling of emptiness and uncertainty created by the previous cigarette.”.
“The only thing that leads us to smoking is people who already smoke. We feel like we're missing out on something. We are willing to work hard to become addicted to smoking, but no one has ever tried to understand what exactly they were missing.”
“This is the only trap in nature that does not contain any bait, not even a tiny piece of cheese. The trap is slammed not because cigarettes taste delicious, but because they taste disgusting.”

If cigarettes are still a part of your life, try reading Alan Carr's book - this may be just the way to help you take a step aside healthy image life. However, for this, banal willpower is enough - everything else is just self-hypnosis and self-deception.

The harm of smoking on a woman's body

The female body reacts to tobacco much more pronouncedly than the male body. In addition to the main diseases familiar to almost every smoker, a representative of the fair sex with a cigarette risks sacrificing her youth, freshness and beauty in the name of a bad habit, but most importantly, the opportunity to become a mother.

Nails and hair suffer from smoking oxygen starvation, become dull and brittle, practically stop growing and look gray and faded. Teeth are gradually destroyed by tobacco smoke, and foul odor No chewing gum can be removed from your mouth. And the skin looks 10-15 years older, not receiving enough oxygen and adequate nutrition from the blood. As a result, the passport age, which promises a young and attractive appearance, is far from the biological age, in which a smoking woman looks like a tired, frazzled middle-aged lady.

However, all this seems small and insignificant compared to what smoking women cannot become mothers. Among them, infertility occurs in 42%, while representatives of the fair sex who are not familiar with cigarettes cannot become pregnant for medical reasons in only 4% of cases.

The dangers of smoking during pregnancy: if one smokes, both suffer

It is not clear what could motivate a pregnant woman to take at least one puff, knowing that not only she could suffer from this, but also the child, who cannot run anywhere so as not to breathe this poison, because he is in the womb of a smoker. The blood-brain barrier is not an obstacle to most of the poisons contained in tobacco smoke, which means future baby suffers from a peculiar form of “passive” smoking before he is even born.

In addition, the reproductive system itself is affected, turning from a cozy “nest” into a dangerous and uncomfortable “haven” for the baby. The uterus, under the influence of nicotine, contracts and relaxes uncontrollably, and the amount of oxygen becomes lower every day. As a result, the baby constantly seems to be suffocating, grabs water with its small mouth, but instead of oxygen, it receives only carbon monoxide from the mother’s blood. This leads to all sorts of fetal pathologies, low birth weight, weakness and nervous excitability of the baby. Moreover, not every “sore” will appear immediately - many of them make themselves felt only when the baby begins to grow up.

The harm of smoking for pregnant women: let's summarize

So, what do the statistics say about this:

96% of miscarriages are somehow related to cigarettes;
mothers who smoke during pregnancy have a 1.3 times higher risk of stillbirth;
premature babies with low body weight are born to smokers 8 times more often;
defects of the facial part (“cleft lip”, “cleft palate”, etc.) appear 2 times more often in newborns exposed to tobacco smoke in the womb;
maternal smoking directly affects hyperactivity, nervous excitability And mental retardation children.

However, even women who smoke can give birth to children who seem quite healthy at first glance, but over time this habit, which the mother did not think to give up at least during pregnancy, will still affect the baby. Such children have weaker immunity, get sick more often and suffer more severely from colds, and their intellectual development inferior to peers whose mothers did not smoke.

The harm of smoking on a teenager's body

Unfortunately, teenage smoking is now far from uncommon. The sale of tobacco to minors is prohibited in stores, and schoolchildren seen with cigarettes risk getting serious problems, however, this does not in any way affect the statistics: every third teenager is introduced to a cigarette before the age of 15. Moreover, for half of them, this seemingly harmless “prank” develops into a harmful habit that persists into adulthood.

Another interesting observation is the fact that most adults who smoke started in adolescence. According to statistics, only 10% of the total number of smokers became acquainted with cigarettes after 18 years of age - the remaining 90% started significantly earlier. And if an adult, when starting to smoke, already understands the risks he is taking, then young people, unfortunately, just pay tribute to fashion, want to look stylish and attract attention, show rebellious impulses and try to emphasize their independence.

Teenagers and addictions: the harm of smoking on the body

A teenager's body reacts to tobacco smoke very violently. First of all it suffers:

Brain. Teenagers who smoke have worse memory because their brain cells suffer from oxygen starvation.
Vision. From tobacco smoke, pathology of the visual cortex develops; colors become duller, faded and gray. Over time, such a defect can cause complete color blindness.
Reproductive system . Even those teenagers who were able to quit this habit by the age of 20-25 are more likely than their non-smoking peers to experience infertility (both male and female). In addition, women with a history of smoking are more likely to suffer from inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs, and men are 1.5 times more likely to experience impotence.

However, other manifestations - respiratory diseases, cardiac pathologies and oncological tumors - do not bypass teenagers who smoke. It is a pity that few of them realize the full extent of responsibility for this habit. Therefore, the task of adults is to explain to children in as much detail as possible what awaits them in the future, and also to show by example that life without smoking is much better.

The harm of passive smoking: nicotine without a cigarette

Inhalation of tobacco smoke by others is no less safe than classic smoking. Passive smokers are exposed to harmful tars, poisons and carcinogens from cigarettes in the same way, with only one difference - they did not choose this path. Everything has already been decided for them by those who lit a cigarette: parents, friends, colleagues, just fellow travelers at the bus stop - in a word, everyone who is nearby.

The nicotine cloud is not just an unpleasant odor that can be ventilated. Smoking in an apartment will forever affect everyone who lives there. Children whose parents smoke in their rooms perceive their peers worse school curriculum, harder to find mutual language with others and endure any cold more painfully. Therefore, you should not be fooled when going to the toilet or onto the balcony - tobacco smoke still penetrates into the apartment and ruins the lives of your loved ones!

The harm of smoking on the human body: briefly about the sore point

It is difficult to put the harm of smoking into any verbal form - experiments show it much more clearly. In chemistry and biology lessons, every schoolchild saw how tobacco smoke settles on cotton wool from a bottle if you insert a cigarette into the hole and set it on fire. In addition, there are many scientific videos on the Internet that clearly demonstrate the ugly truth about smoking. However, there are no fewer smokers in the world - tobacco corporations have done everything not to lose their extremely profitable business.

Many of the smokers could live much longer, be happy for their grown and independent children, babysit their grandchildren, teach them to read and take them to first grade... But it won’t work: according to statistics, regular smoking takes on average 10-15 years of life. Is the cigarette craving worth such sacrifices?..