Smoking: Effects, Risks, Quitting

Reverse the harmful effects of smoking and enjoy a new life from the first hours.

Smoking. Photo by NazihPharmacy

On this page: 

1. How does smoking harm your lungs? 
2. Can smoking cause high cholesterol?  
3. Smoking and cardiovascular disease
4. Second-hand smoke and risks to children
5. How does smoking cause diabetes? 
6. Does smoking raise blood pressure? 
7. Can smoking cause digestive disorders? 
8. Does smoking affect early menopause? 
9. Does smoking affect fitness? 
10. What are the risks of vaping? 
11. Medications can help quit smoking? 
12. What are the benefits of quitting smoking?
13. Summary

Even if you have been smoking for many years, you can reverse the harmful effects of smoking and enjoy health benefits from the first hours you stop smoking and the benefits increase in the years that follow. 

Smoking of all kinds, vaping and cigarettes, poses health risks to your lungs and heart and increases bad blood cholesterol. 

Smoking releases thousands of chemicals into your body due to nicotine and tar. 

The result is not only damage to your lungs, but also to your heart and many other body systems. 

Let's not forget smokers, as one study(1) indicates that smoking cigarettes may be a risk factor for kidney stones formation.

The lungs are the first recipient of cigarette smoke, so what are the effects of that? 

How does smoking harm your lungs?

Cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals(2), which may cause lung cancer and death. 

We find that 90 percent of lung cancer deaths and about 80 percent of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. 

Your lungs contain millions of alveoli (like air sacs) that pull oxygen from the air you breathe in and release carbon dioxide when you exhale.

Smoking destroys these alveoli by killing the cells(3) inside them. But lung tissue doesn’t grow back. Once it’s gone, it’s gone. 

The damage to the alveoli gets worse over time and becomes more fibrous, making it harder for people to fully expand their lungs with each inhalation. 

Your lungs not expanding means less oxygen gets to all the places it needs to go. That’s why many people don’t think there’s a problem until they start feeling short of breath. 

Heavy, long-term smoking can lead to a number of serious conditions, including: 

• Lung cancer

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

The main culprit for lung damage is the tar from burning certain chemicals in cigarettes. 

Nicotine is an addictive drug that affects parts of the brain that control attention, learning, mood, and impulse control. Nicotine(4) from smoking is even more addictive.  

Smoking also increases the level of potassium in the blood, which increases shortness of breath.

In short, the effects of smoking are very bad for your lungs and scary and may even lead to death, but the good news is that quitting smoking at any age is still beneficial to your health.

Can smoking cause high cholesterol?

Smoking causes plaque to build up in the blood vessels and can lead to blockages. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)(5), smoking causes 1 in 4 deaths from cardiovascular disease. 

Smoking can have a variety of harmful effects on the body, including: 

• Damaging artery walls

• Lowering HDL cholesterol

• Increasing plaque buildup in the walls of blood vessels

According to POLS ONE(6) , there is a 2015 study, a substance called acrolein interferes with the ability of HDL cholesterol to effectively transport cholesterol to the liver. 

This can lead to plaque formation. Tobacco smoke contains high amounts of acrolein. Damage to the artery wall can cause cholesterol to move into the area. This, in turn, can lead to blockages.

Additionally, lower HDL cholesterol levels mean less cholesterol is being transported from the bloodstream to the liver. Both of these actions can lead to increased cholesterol levels in the body. 

AHA(7) specifically links carbon monoxide (CO) in cigarette smoke to higher cholesterol levels.  Once carbon monoxide reaches the lungs, it enters the bloodstream and reduces the amount of oxygen that red blood cells can receive. 

At the same time, carbon monoxide builds up cholesterol deposits in the arteries. Over time, this can lead to hardening of the arteries. 

Smoking and cardiovascular disease

Smoking speeds up the blockage and narrowing of the coronary arteries.

Hardening of the arteries caused(8) by smoking can lead to heart disease. It can also potentially cause a heart attack. 

Heart attacks occur when there is insufficient blood supply to the heart. 

Without oxygen and nutrients, the heart muscle begins to die. The severity of a heart attack depends on how much permanent damage to the heart muscle is.

Symptoms include:

• Heavy sweating 

• Shortness of breath 

• Chest pain Severe 

• Coughing or wheezing 

• Dizziness or lightheadedness 

• Nausea and vomiting 

• Anxiety and fear

Smoking also damages other blood vessels. When the arteries that supply blood to the arms and legs are affected, it is called peripheral arterial disease, which affects blood circulation.

Peripheral arterial disease can lead to blood clots, gangrene, and even amputation.

The risk of coronary heart disease(9) is also increased in people who smoke, have high cholesterol levels, and have other risk factors, such as diabetes and high blood pressure. 

Second-hand smoke and risks to children

The effects of secondhand smoke on nonsmokers are the same as for smokers. 

Exposure to second-hand smoke (passive smoking) poses a serious health risk(10)to all people in a space 

Adults and children who breathe in secondhand smoke are at increased risk of lung disease, heart disease, and cancer. 

Exposure to secondhand smoke is especially dangerous for children and infants, and risks include: 

• Sudden unexplained infant death syndrome (SUDI)(11)

• Bronchitis

• Asthma 

• Middle ear disease

• Slow lung growth

• Chronic or acute pneumonia

• Cardiovascular disease

The risk of heart disease is about 30 percent higher in nonsmokers who live with smokers. 

Children may benefit from eating a healthy diet rich in vitamin C , such as avocado and spinach, to support immunity and reduce the negative effects of smoking.

In short, the risks of passive smoking on children are many and may lead to lung diseases, asthma, heart disease and death.

How does smoking cause diabetes?

Smoking increases your risk of type 2 diabetes(12). Chemicals in cigarette smoke Cigarette smoke reduces the amount of oxygen in your body.

Which over time leads to cell damage, a condition called oxidative stress. 

Both oxidative stress and inflammation may increase your risk of diabetes. 

People who smoke are 30 to 40 percent more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people who don’t smoke. 

Chemicals in cigarettes can impair the normal function of hormones and other glands in the body, and can cause inflammation throughout the body, which can make insulin less effective.

People who smoke have a higher risk of belly fat, which can increase your risk of type 2 diabetes, even if you’re not overweight. 

People who smoke and have diabetes are at higher risk for serious health problems, including(13): 

• Heart disease

• High blood pressure

• Kidney damage

• Vision loss

• Poor circulation, especially in the extremities

• Nerve damage, pain, and numbness

In short, smoking is a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Avoid smoking, especially if you have diabetes. 

Does smoking raise blood pressure?

Smoking may temporarily increase high blood pressure, not permanently. The reason for the high blood pressure is the effects of nicotine.

People who smoke regularly may spend a large part of the day with high blood pressure.

Research(14) suggests that nicotine, the main ingredient in cigarette smoke, binds to nicotinic cholinergic receptors and stimulates the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline, two hormones that increase blood pressure. 

Quitting smoking can reduce high blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes. 

Can smoking cause digestive disorders?

Smoking is a risk factor for digestive diseases as it impairs the functions of the digestive system.

Smoking can harm(15) your digestive system at several levels, starting from the esophageal sphincter to promoting digestive system inflammation. 

In addition to making some conditions difficult to treat and the formation of gallstones and some cancers, smoking promotes the development of some digestive diseases, including: 

• Heartburn

• Crohn's disease

• Gallstones

• Peptic ulcers

• Promoting liver disease

• Colitis

• Worsening of pancreatitis

• Pancreatic cancer

• Colorectal cancer

In short, there are various digestive system diseases that smoking cigarettes may promote, so quitting or reducing smoking will enhance your treatment if you are one of those affected. 

Does smoking affect early menopause?

Smoking affects the onset of menopause, causing it to occur earlier. 

This can then start the menopause process earlier and make you experience symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, weak bones, etc.) earlier than you normally would. 

Smokers are more likely to experience unpleasant menopause than non-smokers. Smoking can also intensify menopausal symptoms and severity, including hot flashes and difficulty sleeping. 

The journey to early menopause means dealing with the serious health concerns(16) that can come with early menopause and the resulting loss of estrogen. 

Early menopause is linked to heart disease, stroke, and osteoporosis. Menopause is a natural part of the aging process, but smoking makes what you can expect worse. 

In short, smoking affects early menopause and increases the symptoms and complications associated with menopause, such as hot flashes, weak bones, difficulty sleeping, and sometimes heart attacks. 

Does smoking affect fitness? 

Smoking affects many aspects of home and sports activities such as running, walking, and others. 

To perform at their best, your heart, lungs, and muscles need oxygen-rich blood. 

When you inhale tobacco smoke, carbon monoxide binds to red blood cells instead of oxygen, preventing it from being delivered to your muscles and body tissues. Symptoms include(17): 

• Less muscle strength and flexibility

• Increased fatigue

• Lack of endurance

• Increased pain after exercise

The decrease in oxygen reduces your physical endurance, making it difficult to do everyday things, such as climbing stairs and climbing, Even sexual relations with a partner.

In addition, if you smoke, your resting heart rate is higher than that of non-smokers due to the decrease in oxygen. 

This means that your heart has to work harder to deliver enough oxygen to the rest of your body. 

In addition, poor physical performance affects people who follow a daily weight loss pattern that requires burning more fat. 

Smokers also reach exhaustion and fatigue earlier than non-smokers, which also affects your sexual relationship with your partner. 

In short, smoking affects your heart, lungs, and muscles.  It can reduce your stamina so making the decision to quit smoking is the first step towards living a healthy and active life. 

What are the risks of vaping? 

Vaping is the act of inhaling hot oil through a vaporizer, called an electronic cigarette. 

Vaping can also refer to using a Volcano(18) vaporizer to produce vapor from dried plant material. 

The vapor is produced by marijuana, a type of psychoactive drug extracted from the cannabis plant. 

People often believe that vaping is safer than regular smoking because it doesn’t involve inhaling smoke. 

The truth is that when it comes to vaping marijuana, the negative effects are much less.

However, recent research suggests(19) that vaping THC oil may be very harmful to lung health. The biggest concern right now is the severe effects of inhaling vitamin E acetate. 

In 2019, approximately 2,561 cases of acute respiratory distress syndrome (EVALI) caused by inhaling vitamin E acetate, or “popcorn lung,” were reported in the United States, resulting in 55 deaths during that time, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  

Vaping is most common among children, who are the most affected by vaping-related illnesses.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that people avoid using e-cigarettes and vaping products, especially those containing THC oil, because they may contain vitamin E acetate. 

What medications and products can help you quit smoking?

Some medications and products that help you get rid of nicotine addiction are important to start your journey to quit smoking. 

The beginning of the road is making a decision and a strong will, in addition to many products that can help relieve nicotine cravings, including(20): 

• Varenicline provides a mild amount of nicotine effects. This helps reduce withdrawal symptoms and cravings, and makes smoking less attractive

• Bupropion blocks the effects of nicotine in your brain. This makes smoking less enjoyable, but it does not replace the effects of nicotine

• Nicotine nasal spray is a nicotine replacement therapy that is sprayed into the nostril and absorbed into the lining of the nose and bloodstream

• Nicotine patches are patches that release a fixed dose of nicotine

• Nicotine tablets

• Nicotine gum

In short, smoking can be quit using several medications or nicotine products to reduce the harms of smoking. 

What are the benefits of quitting smoking?

Quitting smoking is considered the most important change in lifestyle, the benefits include cancer prevention, speed of daily and sports activities, heart health, diabetes and other benefits. 

The benefits of quitting smoking increase with time, days and years, the following points show the details of the benefits according to the age of quitting smoking(21):  

• Hours: Heart rate returns to normal, toxic chemicals begin to leave the blood, breathing becomes easier, and sense of taste and smell improves 

• Days: Within days of quitting smoking, you will often find yourself breathing more easily. This is because the airways inside your lungs have begun to open up more. This makes it easier for carbon dioxide and oxygen to exchange

• Weeks: Blood becomes less viscous, risk of heart attack begins to decrease

• Months: Circulation improves, energy levels increase, athletic performance improves

• 1 year: Coughing and wheezing decrease as lungs can take in more air

• (1-15) years: Risk of heart disease and heart attack drops by half

• Over 15 years: a person’s health returns to the levels of someone who has never smoked

As you advance in the age of quitting smoking, we find a big change in the health of the entire body. 

Summary 

Smoking affects various body functions from the lungs to the heart and digestive system, leading to health conditions that may be irreversible.

Making the right decision to quit smoking in all its forms, whether vaping or smoking, is the most important decision in switching to a healthy lifestyle with a healthy heart and brain.