In the 20th century, tobacco was responsible for an estimated 100 million deaths in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), if people do not stop smoking, then it is likely that billions more will die in the future.
We have all been hearing for generations that smoking is dangerous to your health and can cause cancer. With so much research done on the direct links between cancer and smoking, the reasons to stop smoking are clearer than ever before. Smoking is killing countless people all over the world. Let’s read more about smoking and cancer in detail below.
Which Body Part is Affected Most by Smoking?
When we smoke, chemicals in the cigarette enter the bloodstream, directly affecting the whole body. This is the main reason why smoking is dangerous to health as it affects almost all the body parts. Also, it causes fourteen types of cancers, lung diseases, and heart diseases. Unfortunately, people do know about it but still continue to smoke, due to the addictive nicotine which is present in it.
How is Cancer Caused by Smoking?
![A DNA adduct (at center) of benzo[a]pyrene, the major mutagen in tobacco smoke](https://howard-fensterman-charities.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CC-G-Wikimedia-040819a-650px-Benzopyrene_DNA_adduct_1JDG.png)
Cancer is caused when smoking damages our DNA and genes that guard us against this disease. Cigarettes contain several chemicals such as polonium 210, nitrosamines, benzo (a) pyrene and benzene that damage our DNA. There is also acrolein is an organic compound in cigarette smoke. It’s a toxic compound and associations have been made between acrolein and the development of lung cancers. It is a known DNA mutagen, and this, in turn, could lead to carcinogenic effects. Acrolein has also been linked to heart disease.
How Much Time Does It Take for Smoking to Cause Cancer?
The time duration which it takes for smoking to cause cancer is not defined. Usually, it can take decades or even years for smoking to affect your DNA. Fortunately, our bodies are designed in a way that they can deal with these damages, but when dangerous chemicals come into the body because of smoking on a continuous basis, it becomes difficult for the body to deal with them. Our body can fight against these elements for a time, but will not be able to keep them away indefinitely, especially if an individual is addicted to smoking. Ultimately, there will be a time when it these toxins will completely damage the internal organs.
Which Cancer is Caused by Smoking?
Smoking can directly affect the lungs in the body and research reports that lung cancer has one of the least survival rates among all cancers and consequently, many have died because of this serious illness.
While smoking affects the lungs, there are many more types of cancers that are associated with smoking. It can cause damage and create tumors in such organs as the bladder, larynx, mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, liver, kidney, pancreas, bowel, ovary, sinuses, cervix, nose, leukemia and breast cancer. It can actually destroy the whole body, once someone has acquired any of the cancers out there.
However, there is good news, as the best way to prevent such deaths is to give up smoking altogether. There are many cancer prevention organizations available. One popular service is preventcancer.org. Here you can learn the details of prevention methods for each of the cancers that can affect your body, as well as volunteering and donating to the cause.