The latest guidelines published by the Scottish Alcohol Health Action, a UK-based alcoholism group, warn that smoking and drinking alcohol causes a 30-fold increased risk of oral, throat and esophageal cancer compared to people who smoke or only drink.
Studies have shown that people who smoke have about 50 times higher rates of lung cancer than people who have never smoked, and the longer the smoking history, the earlier the age at which smoking begins, the higher the prevalence of lung cancer. Moreover, the prevalence of lung cancer after 15 years of abstinence is also higher than that of never-smokers, and the prevalence of patients who smoke second-hand smoke is also increased.
Those who have been smoking for many years have finally happened
1. Damage to the respiratory system
Smoking will have a long-term cumulative effect on the respiratory system, resulting in chronic inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, such as chronic pharyngitis, rhinitis, laryngitis, gingivitis, bronchitis, chronic bronchitis, etc., and can also lead to emphysema, COPD, etc.
2. Increase the risk of tumors
Long-term smoking increases the risk of tumors, especially those of the respiratory system, and there is now a lot of research evidence that long-term smoking is closely related to the development of lung cancer.
There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco, among which harmful substances can cause DNA damage to bronchial epithelial cells, which activates oncogenes and inactivates tumor suppressors, which in turn causes cell transformation and eventually cancerous. Therefore, the primary prevention of lung cancer must first stop smoking.
In addition to lung tumors, other aspects of tumors are very closely related to smoking, including lip cancer, tongue cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, laryngeal cancer and digestive system this esophageal cancer, stomach cancer, bowel cancer and a series of tumors are closely related to long-term smoking.
3. Increase the risk of coronary heart disease
Nicotine in tobacco can cause a very wide range of vascular endothelial damage, especially the endothelium damage of the arteries, and after this endothelial damage, it will further promote the deposition of lipids in the blood, resulting in narrowing of the arterial lumen, thereby increasing the risk of coronary heart disease.
And for patients with coronary heart disease, smoking will lead to further aggravation of the disease, so whether it is for prevention or to control the disease, it is advisable for smokers to quit early.
4. Affect semen quality
Harmful substances in tobacco will also affect male fertility, increase sperm malformation rate, and may also affect sperm motility, thereby increasing the risk of male infertility, but also easily lead to fetal malformations, fetal abortion and other risks increased.
This is also the main reason why men who are trying to conceive must quit smoking.
In addition, family smoking, the impact on children is also very large, if children often smoke second-hand smoke, whether it is intellectual development or physical health will have a great impact, must be paid attention to.
Smoking is harmful and unhelpful, tobacco has a variety of carcinogens, it is recommended that smokers should quit smoking as soon as possible to minimize the damage to the body.
Although it is very difficult for smokers to quit smoking, think about the harm of smoking to themselves and the harm to their families, or try to quit smoking, of course, family members must also work together to give support, so that they can better quit smoking success.
bibliography:
1.ZHANG Xiao . Smoking and drinking alcohol can increase the risk of cancer by 30 times . China Health Food . 2020, (6)
2. Warning! Smoking and drinking alcohol causes oral, throat and esophageal cancer to increase the risk of 30 times. Xinmin Evening News . In 2019
3. Zuo Jingjing,Chen Chen,Zeng Manli . Research advances in the association between smoking and cancer . Advances in Modern Biomedicine . In 2017