Health effects of smoking are more dangerous than thought

While smoking has long been linked to an array of health problems, recent research shows that the harmful habit is worse than previously known: A new report from the U.S. surgeon general found that smoking causes diseases in almost every organ of the human body.

Released in late May, "The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General," cites more than 1,600 scientific articles on the health effects of smoking. In addition to the well-known effects of smoking, such as lung, mouth and esophageal cancers, the new report found that smoking is conclusively linked to leukemia, cataracts and pneumonia as well as cancers of the pancreas, cervix and kidneys. Other complications linked to smoking in the report included diabetes complications, hip fractures and reproductive complications.

"The toxins from cigarette smoke can go everywhere the blood flows," said U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS. "I'm hoping this new information will help motivate people to quit smoking and convince young people not to start in the first place."

The new report was released on the anniversary of the historic 1964 surgeon general's report on smoking, which was the first to draw widespread attention to the dangers of tobacco use. While U.S. smoking rates have notably dropped since the publication of the first report - 42 percent of the public smoked in 1964 versus 22.5 percent of adults today - the practice still leads to 440,000 U.S. deaths each year.

More than 12 million Americans have died from smoking since the 1964 report, and another 25 million Americans alive today are expected to die of a smoking-related illness, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Among the report's other conclusions was that low-tar or low-nicotine cigarettes are not healthier than regular cigarettes.

Despite the damaging effects of tobacco use, quitting smoking has immediate and long-term effects such as improved circulation and a drop in heart rate, the report found. Even quitting late in life can have positive effects: Giving up tobacco at age 65 can reduce a smoker's risk of dying of related disease by 50 percent.

The scientific articles cited in the report are featured in a new online interactive database that is available via the surgeon general's Web site at http://www.surgeongeneral.gov. The database will be updated as new studies are published.

Legislation introduced

The surgeon general report findings came as courts, legislators and advocates stepped up their attention to tobacco control in recent months.

In Washington, D.C., legislators from both sides of the political table embraced new legislation that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products.

While such legislation has been proposed in previous sessions of Congress, the new bills, introduced in May, are notable in that they were introduced by Republicans and Democrats in both congressional chambers. In the House, H.R. 4433 was introduced by Reps. Tom Davis, R-Va., and Henry Waxman, D-Calif., while in the Senate, S. 2461 was introduced by Sens. Mike DeWine, R-Ohio, and Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

The bills would provide FDA with the authority for actions such as prohibiting unsubstantiated health claims, requiring changes in the composition of tobacco products to make them less harmful and protecting children from tobacco marketing. A June poll by the Campaign For Tobacco-Free Kids found that 69 percent of respondents favored passing legislation that would provide regulation authority to FDA.

"Many consumers, including smokers, are surprised to learn that no federal agency has the authority to require tobacco companies to list the ingredients that are in their products - things like trace amounts of arsenic, formaldehyde and ammonia," DeWine said. "No federal agency has the authority to inspect tobacco manufacturers - how the cigarette and smokeless tobacco products are made, whether the manufacturers' machines and equipment are clean."

FDA regulation of tobacco is supported by health and tobacco control advocates, including APHA, which has long had policy on the books specifically calling for such a move. APHA also supports measures that would provide incentives to tobacco farmers to switch to other crops, such as a tobacco industry-financed buyout of such farmers.

source www.medicalnewstoday.com

Smoking is dangerous to your oral health

Dental researchers have long known that people who use tobacco products are more likely to have their tooth enamel and pulp cavity worn down. Only recently have they found a reason why.

Abrasive particles in tobacco can damage teeth

Researchers at Baylor University's College of Dentistry recently examined samples of cigars, chewing tobacco, snuff and unprocessed tobacco leaves used as cigar wrappers. They found that tobacco products, like many plants, contain tiny particles that are abrasive to teeth. When mixed with saliva and chewed, an abrasive paste is created that wears down teeth over time. Although the particles are too small to be detected, the effect is similar to rubbing your teeth with fine sandpaper.

The researchers also noted that people who habitually chew foreign materials such as pens or pencils, eat coarse diets or are repeatedly exposed to air that contains high levels of abrasive dust may also experience a wearing away of the tooth enamel and pulp cavity.

Tobacco use has other detrimental effects: bad breath, periodontal disease, oral cancer and increased incidence of cleft lip and palate among children of mothers who smoke during pregnancy.

Smoking during pregnancy can lead to oral clefts

According to a study conducted at Johns Hopkins University, women who smoke may be more likely to have children born with an oral cleft.

Cleft lips or palates, one of the most common birth defects, occur during early fetal development, often before a woman knows she's pregnant. Women who smoke can trigger the gene that causes the birth defect. According to the study, children who carried the gene responsible for the defect who had smoking mothers were six times more likely to develop a cleft than children in the control group.

source www.deltadentalins.com

Start Smoking Now!

Remember the Marlboro guy? You don’t see those sorts of ads promoting tobacco products on TV anymore. Back in the day, it used to be cool to smoke. Today we know, more than ever, the many health problems that are associated with smoking a tobacco product. It is finally being seen as a bad habit, perhaps a socially unacceptable one by a few. But, why do so many people start smoking then? Each year millions of people will light their first cigarette. Will it be you this year?

Why We Smoke

Fitting in- In many schools, smoking is a large problem. Yes, it is still peer pressure that forces many teens to light up. Whether caused by the bully or the “come on, are you cool or not?” routine, smoking still happens quite a bit in those younger years. The best way to prevent your child from smoking is to talk to them about what it is, what it does to them, and the need to avoid it in the first place.

The partner does it- This is another large reason why people begin smoking in their young adult years. As they begin to date and hang around a group of people, they may just learn to smoke. Even if the non-smoking partner is never asked to take a smoke, it often happens that he/she gives it a try. At other times, people start it because it’s easier to make conversation at bars or clubs.

Stress relief- Many people know that those who are smoking are relieving stress through it. So, if your life gets overloaded with anxiety and worry, maybe smoking a pack will help you to deal with it. Atleast that’s how many individuals start smoking. Like other addictions, these feelings simply serve as a short-term escape from reality.

All of these reasons to start smoking do not have any real merit. After all, who really believes that it is cool to have tobacco yellow teeth? Nevertheless, thousands of people make the decision to start, pressured or not each day. Will you be one of them? You may want to realize, too, that if you never do start to smoke, you’ll never have to fight the battle of quitting, a task that is harder than most problems of our daily life.

By Mike Singh

Mike Singh is the publisher of http://www.my-stop-smoking-zone.com/ On his website he provides articles about tips on stopping smoking and side affects of zyban.

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