Table of ContentsEffects on Major Bodily SystemsCardiovascular SystemRespiratory SystemOncological (Cancer) EffectsOther Health IssuesThe Addictive Nature of NicotineQuitting Smoking for Better Brain HealthThe Neurobiology of...
Smoking to stay thin is a common misconception. The irony of smoking to stay thin is that smoking causes harm to nearly every organ in the body and it actually increases belly fat. Additionally, smoking causes diabetes, stroke, cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, and chronic bronchitis among other health problems. Evidence also suggests that smoking causes brain shrinkage, and chromosomal damage in white blood cells that accelerate the aging process.
Smoking shrinks the brain, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The good news is that quitting smoking prevents further loss of brain tissue u2014 but still, stopping smoking doesnu2019t restore the brain to its original size. Since peopleu2019s brains naturally lose volume with age, smoking effectively causes the brain to age prematurely, the researchers said.
The findings, published in Biological Psychiatry: Global Open Science, help explain why smokers are at high risk of age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimeru2019s disease.
Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States. Despite various government efforts to educate the public through anti-smoking campaigns, the CDC estimates that nearly 30 million Americans still smoke cigarettes. The main reason why so many smokers struggle to quit is due to their addiction to nicotine. Nicotine is a drug present in tobacco that stimulates the reward center of the brain and produces a pleasurable effect. The more you smoke, the more your body associates the act with feeling good. This dopamine-like effect is the root of addiction.
It is no secret that smoking is incredibly unhealthy, now new research is adding to the long list of negative consequences associated with the bad habit: mental illness. Researchers from Aarhus University report that smoking can increase the risk of developing depression as well as bipolar disorder by over 100%.u00a0
Cannabidiol or CBD, a non-psychoactive component of cannabis, inhibits the metabolism of nicotine, new research has found, meaning it could help tobacco users curb the urge for that next cigarette.
Looks like jewelry, but itu2019s tracking your every puff
Pendant tracks heat signatures from lit cigarettes in real time
Necklace can track how much smokers inhale, time between puffs
Goal to intervene to prevent smokers from relapsing after they quit
Middle-aged smokers are far more likely to report having memory loss and confusion than nonsmokers, and the likelihood of cognitive decline is lower for those who have quit, even recently, a new study has found.
Smoking has been well-documented to be detrimental to many areas of health including addiction and mortality, yet despite the dangers, it remains popular, and quitting is a difficult process that may require help from professionals.u00a0
This study recently published in JAMA found that quitting smoking is associated with reduced mortality risk and the sooner you stop, the more benefits people are likely to experience adding to the growing body of evidence supporting the impact of smoking and the benefits of stopping.
