Smoking is an addictive habit that can be very difficult to kick. While it can be hard to get over the cravings, once you discover the many ways that smoking can affect your health over time you will be persuaded to make the effort to change your unhealthy lifestyle. Contrary to popular belief, smoking does not only affect your lungs or lead to lung cancer. Read on, and learn about some of the common health conditions that are caused by smoking tobacco.
Smoking Leaves You Vulnerable to Autoimmune Diseases
Your immune system is what fights off disease and protects your body from illness and infection. When you smoke, you are inhibiting your immune system’s ability to fight off disease. This makes you more vulnerable to Crohn’s disease, respiratory infection, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and other autoimmune diseases that can affect your quality of life.
Tobacco Use Can Lead to Decreased Bone Density
As you age, your bones become less dense. This is why elderly individuals are at a higher risk for fractures. When you smoke tobacco, you are at risk for decreased bone density at a higher rate. This means that you are more likely to suffer from the aches and pains that come with osteoporosis at a younger age than the average non-smoker. A loss in bone density can also affect your mouth, which can lead to tooth loss and receding gumlines.
Affects Your Oral Health
Tobacco smoke directly affects the mouth, and because the mouth is the gateway to your body you must know the problems that can start at the mouth. Smoking leads to halitosis, yellow teeth, increased plaque and tartar, increased risk of gum disease, and a risk of bone cancer. A loss in bone density can also affect your mouth, which can lead to tooth loss and lower success rates for dental implants. According to Family Dental Centre, a Cobourg dentist, when you quit you will experience immediate oral benefits in the form of better smelling breath and less staining. Just two days after you quit, your risk of heart attack and heart disease goes down.
Smoking and the Heart
Most people are aware that smoking affects the respiratory system, but did you know that it also affects the heart directly? This habit can lead to plaque build up in the arteries, bulging blood vessels, cardiovascular disease, and stroke caused by blood clotting. The increased risk of gum disease also increasing the risk of heart disease.
Tobacco smoke contains about 7000 different hazardous chemicals that are not meant to be ingested by the body. At least 70 to 80 of these chemicals are carcinogens that can lead to various types of life-threatening cancer that affects the mouth all the way to the colon. If you want to live a more satisfying life, now is the time to quit. Remember, it is never too late to make a change.
Comments are closed.