Health Risks in Smoking

Most people are fully aware that smoking can lead to lung cancer, but in fact the health risks in smoking are much further reaching.

Cancer of the lungs is only one of the risks run by smokers. Smoking is a high risk factor for several kinds of cancer including mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, bladder, cervix and stomach as well as some types of leukemia.

As well as cancer, smoking can cause other lung diseases as in pneumonia, emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These diseases which come under the term of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD can cause chronic illness and disabilities and can also be fatal. Long-term smokers carry the highest risk of COPDs

Vascular disease: narrowing or clogging of blood vessels can lead to all kinds of problems. Peripheral vascular disease affects blood vessels feeding the leg and arm muscles.

Problems in the blood vessels feeding the heart can lead to heart disease and heart attacks, and blocked vessels to the brain can cause a stroke. Men who smoke can find blood vessel disease will cause erectile dysfunction.

Eyesight can be affected by smoking: health risks in smoking include increased risk of macular degeneration, sometimes leading to blindness. Also premature ageing and wrinkling of the skin, halitosis or bad breath, tooth and gum disease, yellowing and brittle fingernails, not to mention revolting smelling hair and clothes.

Expectant or nursing mothers have some unique health risks in smoking, to themselves as well as the new life they are carrying. Women (particularly over 35) who smoke and also take oral contraceptives have a very high risk of heart attack, stroke and thrombosis. Smoking carries a high risk of miscarriage or babies born underweight; which are more likely to have physical problems, learning difficulties or even risk of death. Nicotine can be passed into breast milk as well as cervical fluids, amniotic fluids and umbilical cord.

One of the main health risks in smoking is a shortening of life expectancy: the CDC estimates an adult male will lose an average of 13.2 years of life and females 14.5 years, due to smoking. Add to that the risk of diseases during their lifetime which can impair the quality of life long before that. Even without contracting a disease, smoker’s activities are limited by difficulties in breathing and moving around, both at work and play.

The health benefits in quitting are more than just decreasing the health risks in smoking:

Just 20 minutes after quitting your blood pressure will drop and your heart rate decrease

2 hours afterwards the carbon monoxide level in the blood returns to normal

Between two weeks and three months after quitting, blood circulation will improve and lung function increase.

Anywhere between one and nine months after quitting you will notice a marked decrease in coughing and shortness of breath. Lungs will start to regain their normal cilia function (these are hair-fine elements in the lungs that dispel mucus) and increase their ability to handle mucus and reduce risk of infection. The lungs will begin to be cleansed from the inside.

After the first year of not smoking, you have reduced the risk of ordinary heart disease by half, compared to a smoker.

Five years on, your risk of stroke is reduced dramatically, and between 5-15 years the risk will be the same as that of a non-smoker.

After 10 years the death rate from lung cancer is reduced by half, compared to a continuing smoker.

Apart from the health risks in smoking, what about the money you spend? Look at the price you spend a day on cigarettes and multiply that by 365. Wow! How much do you spend in a year! Multiply it by 10, and think what you could have done with all that money instead of burning it over 10 years!

All this cost, along with the health risks in smoking must surely give you reason to quit. Find yourself a quit smoking plan and start it right away!

Quit Smoking today!

Exercise and Foods to Help You Quit Smoking Today

You have made the decision to quit smoking, now here are some tips for exercise and foods to help you quit smoking today.


Regular exercise is important to help you quit smoking, but doesn't have to be too strenuous. Take into account your personal fitness and the amount of exercise you normally do.

Just five minutes of walking or muscle flexing can be as effective in decreasing cravings as a nicotine patch. A light session of exercise will decrease cravings for about 15 minutes, and high levels of exercise will more than double this time. The really intense cravings don't normally last for more than a few minutes at a time, so a brisk walk is usually enough to keep these under control.

Many of the symptoms associated with withdrawal can be decreased by exercise, including anxiety, stress, irritability, tension, restlessness and low concentration levels.

Joining a fitness program or exercise group will not only help you with regular exercise, but will help you keep occupied in your leisure hours and keep your mind off those cigarettes. The styles and levels of exercise should be decided by your normal daily routine; just make sure that you do more than usual when trying to quit smoking.



Not only exercise but a healthy diet will help you through the difficult times of kicking your habit. Foods to help you quit smoking are fresh fruit and vegetables, and particularly alkaline-producing foods like spinach, figs, raisins and almonds. Avoid acid-forming foods like meat and fatty snacks, or soft drinks.

The alkaline diet is mostly necessary during the first stages of withdrawal when cravings are strongest. Vegetarian and raw foods help most in calming cravings. Beyond the first two or three weeks, once the craving starts to lessen, you can vary the diet some more, but still continue with a daily intake of fresh fruit and vegetable.

Oatmeal is one of the best foods to help you quit smoking, as it has very calming properties to soothe nerves and help you relax: This is especially helpful at bedtime.

A diet rich in antioxidants is especially helpful, coming from the nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamins A and C and the mineral selenium. Make sure to consume plenty of raw seeds and nuts, legumes and sprouts, and above all fresh fruit. Vitamin C is particularly necessary, as it neutralizes the toxins in cigarette smoke.

Drink plenty of water; keep a glass at hand at all times, which will keep your hands busy while at the same time keeping you hydrated. Water will also help to keep you feeling full, and less likely to feel the need to eat.

Avoid alcohol and caffeine as much as possible, not only because of the effects to your health, but also most smokers agree that an alcoholic drink or a cup of coffee will make them immediately want a cigarette.

Work out for yourself an exercise regime and healthy diet list and follow them carefully; you will soon notice the importance of exercise and foods to help you quit smoking today.



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