Smoking has a negative impact on the vital organs of the human body. Some of these effects become evident quickly while others take a longer period to manifest.

The human brain has to create new nicotine receptors to deal with the excessive nicotine intake that is caused by smoking. As time progresses, the number of nicotine receptor sites gradually increases and when a person finally quits smoking, these sites stop receiving nicotine. Since the nicotine receptor sites are programmed to accept nicotine, cutting off its supply to these sites causes a person to suffer from nicotine withdrawal.

Irritability, anxiety, and other psychological problems are also experienced by a person suffering from nicotine withdrawal.

The nicotine and tar found in cigarettes and cigars are extremely hazardous for human health when they are burnt. The toxic fumes produced can severely damage a person’s lungs and air passages.

In addition to this, nicotine also contains several chemicals that disrupt the distribution of nutrients in the human body and have detrimental effects for fertility, bone and muscle growth, and oral health. They degrade a person’s skin and eye sight and affect the healing of wounds, causing an increase in the probability of an infection.

Smoking increases the risk of developing cancer

Smoking greatly increases chances of getting cancer. Various organs of the body (such as the bladder, liver, stomach, pancreas, larynx, colon, trachea, lung, and several other organs) are badly affected by smoking and face an increased risk of developing cancer.

It is a well-known fact that chronic smokers have a higher probability of developing lung cancer. The toxic chemicals in the smoke emitted by cigarettes are carcinogenic and damage cells inside the lungs. After some time, these cells begin to mutate and become cancerous.

It should be remembered here that the extent to which a person’s lungs are affected by smoking is determined by how much that person smokes on a daily basis.

Development of cardiovascular diseases

Smoking also leads to the development of serious cardiovascular diseases. Coronary heart diseases caused by smoking are responsible for a large number of deaths in the United States every year.

A stroke occurs due to the blockage of blood vessel in the brain by blood clots. Since smoking thickens blood vessels and restricts the flow of blood through them, smokers can also suffer from a life-threatening stroke.

Smoking causes diabetes

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a direct consequence of smoking. Active smokers have a substantially greater risk of developing this type of diabetes than people who stay away from smoking. Since diabetes cannot be reversed, patients are plagued by this medical problem for life.

Smoking affects the health of unborn children

Pregnant women must avoid smoking at all costs because it can be extremely harmful for their unborn children. Some of the major problems that smoking causes for child-bearing women include:

• Stillbirth
• SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Preterm delivery
• Malnourished foetuses
• And several other serious problems

To live a happy and healthy life, stay away from smoking! And don’t forget to warn others too about the health risks caused by smoking.