The health risks of smoking

Current research indicates that smoking reduces your life expectancy by eight years. In the UK, smoking kills around 114,000 people every year. The deaths are a result of a broad range of medical conditions, all brought on by smoking. As one of the UK’s biggest killers, many people need to know the facts and try and kick the habit.

The products within a cigarette which harms you most includes the tar, a sticky, black substance which builds up in the lungs; the nicotine, the addictive element of the cigarette; and the carbon monoxide, which severely reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood.

The main diseases which are caused by cancer include cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular disease is disease of the heart, which involves a toughening and clogging of the arteries. Over many years, they are left so tight that nothing can pass through them. This is likely to lead to blood clots and result in a heart attack or stroke.

These blood clots which can also form in the brain are likely to cause sudden or abrupt death.

Of course smoking is also a major cause of cancer. Many varieties of cancer can form as a result of smoking but most commonly lung, throat and mouth cancer, although it can also lead to cervical cancer, kidney or bladder cancer, and even stomach cancer.

In fact, over 90% of lung cancer patients are smokers, and it is predicted that 1 in 5 heavy smokers will contract lung cancer. Less than 1 per cent of non-smokers ever get lung cancer.

With these alarming statistics it is no wonder many people are trying to quit. There are many different quit smoking methods, such as the electronic cigarette or e cigarette. These are inhalers which help to control addictions and allow the smoker to inhale without the presence of tar or carbon monoxide.