The risks and harms of smoking are pretty much common knowledge to most people. Especially when the pack of cigarettes practically screams it out to you in bold letters. Yet, as statistics would say, smoking in young adults has been on the rise in the recent years. What makes them take this step? Maybe it is peer pressure, or maybe they do it for the thrill of it. Every country takes a great initiative in educating their population, yet some fail to understand the complexity of the situation.

Here are some of the reasons that will tell you that even a single puff of the deadly tobacco can severely harm your health and general well-being

Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of cancer. It can cause cancer in most organs of the body. Smoking cigarettes can cause the following:

Nose cancer
Throat cancer
Larynx cancer
Mouth cancer
Oesophageal cancer
Lung cancer
Liver cancer
Cervix cancer
Stomach cancer
Kidney cancer
Colorectal cancer
Cervical cancer etc.

Smokers are more prone to respiratory diseases because smoking is capable of compromising the immune system of the body.
Autoimmune diseases such as Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis are more likely to occur in smokers as their immune system is compromised by smoking.

Smoking has been linked to diabetes type 2. This type of diabetes develops during adulthood. The more cigarettes a person smokes, the more likely is the person to develop this disease.

Smoking puts you at risk of developing several heart diseases such as angina, heart attacks, etc. because the nicotine in the body results in the lowering of good cholesterol. This causes deposition of bad cholesterol in the arteries.

Tobacco can cause tooth decay and several other oral problems such as gingivitis and other problems of the gum.

Cigarettes constrict your blood vessels. This constant narrowing of blood vessels can cause erectile dysfunction in men and leads to the infertility in both men and women. It also makes them difficult to achieve orgasms.

You might find yourself craving for cigarettes when you’re stressed out.

This is because the effect of nicotine in the cigarettes is lowered by the hormone produced during a stressful situation, i.e. cortisone.

Nicotine that causes momentary central nervous system stimulation can cause addiction and dependence.

Pregnancy is a very sensitive period of time that plays an important role in not just your newborn's physical but also mental health. The nourishment that a mother gets is transmitted to the baby and so are negative effects of certain habits like smoking, drinking alcohol and taking too much stress. While some believe that you must completely avoid alcohol and also smoking cigarettes during pregnancy, some say that an occasional drink may be alright. But a new study, conducted by researchers from King’s College London and the University of Bristol, clearly indicates that consumption of alcohol, smoking cigarettes and exposure to stress can cause certain epigenetic changes at birth that can make the child more prone to aggressive behaviour.

Epigenetic changes refer to external modifications to the DNA that turn the genes ‘on’ or ‘off’. According to researchers, these can leas to conduct problems in children later in life such as fighting, lying and stealing. The team believes that children who show early-onset of conduct problems are much more likely to turn aggressive and indulge in antisocial behaviour as adults.

The researchers explain that kids who develop conduct problems before the age of 10 are at a much higher risk of severe and chronic antisocial behaviour and it is believed that genetic factors that can play an important role in influencing the degree of risk. The team used data from Bristol’s Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) to examine the link between DNA methylation at birth and conduct problems from the ages of four to 13. DNA methylation is an epigenetic process that regulates how genes are ‘switched on and off’.

In addition to this, they also measured the role of environmental factors that have been previously linked to early onset of conduct problems such as maternal diet, smoking, alcohol use and exposure to stressful life events. The results showed that epigenetic changes at birth in seven sites of the DNA were different for those who developed early-onset of conduct problems in comparison to those who did not. Further, it was found that some of these epigenetic differences were also linked to smoking and alcohol use during pregnancy.

Previous studies have shown that exposure to maternal smoking and alcohol is associated with developmental problems in children, but this study established that it can also increase the risk if conduct problems. Therefore, it is best to avoid alcohol and smoking during pregnancy for the safety of the child and the mother.

In developing countries around the world especially in Asia, secondhand smoke causes thousands of stillbirths every year. Exposure to secondhand smoke during pregnancy increases the risk of stillbirth, congenital malformations, low birth-weight and respiratory illnesses.

In a recent study, researchers found that 40% of all pregnant women in Pakistan are exposed to secondhand smoke - causing approximately 17,000 stillbirths in a year.

The team from the University of York looked at the number of pregnancies alongside smoking exposure data in 30 developing countries from 2008 to 2013. The analysis revealed that in Armenia, Indonesia, Jordan, Bangladesh and Nepal more than 50% of pregnant women reported exposure to household secondhand smoke.

In Indonesia alone, 10,000 stillbirths take place every year. In Pakistan, only 1% of stillbirths are attributed to women actively smoking during pregnancy, but for secondhand smoke, the figure is 7%, largely due to the high numbers of pregnant women exposed to tobacco smoke in the home.

In five of the 30 countries, household secondhand smoke exposure was twice as common as active smoking."This is the first study which provides national estimates for 30 developing countries on secondhand smoke exposure in pregnancy and it reveals a huge problem, a problem which is not being addressed," said a lead researcher Kamran Siddiqi.

"We have shown for the first time that secondhand smoke during pregnancy is far more common than active smoking in developing countries, accounting for more stillbirths than active smoking.

Protecting pregnant women from secondhand smoke exposure should be a key strategy to improve maternal and child health," he added.

They also say further work is needed to develop effective interventions to reduce household exposure to secondhand smoke. The study appeared in the BMJ Tobacco Control Journal.

Middle-aged individuals who smoke could be at far greater risk of developing heart failure than those who never smoked, or those who quit, according to new research.

Heart failure is a chronic condition in which the heart does not pump blood properly.

"Previous research has focused on smoking and atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, but not enough attention has been given to the other bad effects of smoking on the heart," said Michael E. Hall, a cardiologist at the University of Mississippi Medical Center in the US.


The new study found that current smokers were nearly three times more likely to be hospitalised for heart failure, while current smokers who smoked a pack or more a day were over three times more likely to be hospitalised.

Current smokers's left ventricle -- the heart's main pumping chamber -- showed early signs of not working properly.

These changes in the left ventricle's structure and function are likely put a person at greater risk of developing heart failure, Hall said.

For the study, detailed in the journal Circulation, the team included 4,129 participants, aged 54 and of African-American origin.

The study took into account high blood pressure, diabetes, body mass and other factors that might have biased results.

Even those with a smoking history, equivalent to smoking a pack a day for 15 years, were also twice as likely to be hospitalised for heart failure.

"As healthcare professionals, we would recommend that all patients quit smoking anyway, but the message should be made even more forcefully to patients at higher risk of heart failure,"Hall said.

If you thought smoking was causing damage to only your lungs, thing again. Your eyesight, one of your most valuable possessions, is at high risk of damage because of your bad habit.
The damage done to your eyes by cigarettes happens from two sources; the toxic smoke that hangs in the air which surrounds you as you puff on the cigarettes and 4000 odd toxic substances that enter your bloodstream once you smoke. In extreme cases, smoking also causes loss in vision. Here is a list of eye disorders and diseases, which can be caused due to smoking-

Macular degeneration

The risk of developing Age-related Macular Degeneration is there for people above the age of fifty. In case of smokers, the chance of developing AMD is three times more than in nonsmokers. It has been proven that smokers develop the chance of AMD ten years prior to non smokers.

Cataract

This process involves the clouding of the lens inside the eye. Cataract develops with old age, usually. The risk of developing early cataract is common among smokers, who are twice at risk of cataract than non smokers. The effect of the cataract in the case of smokers is more severe.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the eye disorder where the death of nerve fiber layer behind our eyes takes place, and that results in loss of vision. The increase in pressure within the eyes leads to glaucoma. Smoking enhances the pressure in your eyes, and so smokers are at a potential risk of acquiring this disease.

Diabetic eye diseases

A number of eye diseases are accompanied with diabetes. This can result in blindness when left ignored or not paid attention to in severe cases. Diabetic patients who are smokers are three times more at a risk of eye diseases associated with diabetes.

Optic neuropathy

This eye disease causes sudden loss of vision to the eyes without any pain. It happens due to the disrupted flow of blood in the arteries of the eyes. Smokers are 16 times more at a risk of developing optic neuropathy at an earlier age.

Thyroid associated eye diseases

Patients having thyroid issues or Grave's disease have disorders in their vision. Grave's disease patients who smoke tobacco are likely to develop severe eye diseases associated with the thyroid.

Dry eye

Smoking causes irritation to the eyes and affects the tear film of the eye. Smokers and passive smokers are likely to develop dry eye disorders. Smoking causes a lot of eye diseases and disorders, and smokers are at a higher risk of acquiring eye diseases than non smokers.