Ever looked at the back of a cigarette box? Each and every one of them says in a bold font with an illustrative picture that “SMOKING KILLS” and I would recommend you all to believe those folks because they aren’t wrong! We all know smoking is harmful for us but do we know exactly why?  It is the largest cause of preventable death in the world. Smoking cannot just cause a lot of diseases, it can kill you! It is responsible for long term (chronic) respiratory diseases, heart diseases, cancer and premature death. Studies have found that smokers can also undermine the health and wellness of non-smokers in some environments. Smoking is the cause of one out of five deaths in the United States every year.

I know these are all just facts and you think smoking is cool blah blah... let me tell you one thing, you’re going to think twice while lighting up your next cigarette after reading this article because I’m gonna tell you things that your favorite Marlboro box won’t tell you!

Smoking causes cancer

It is known to be the cause of 80% lung cancer in women and 90% lung cancer in men and the line does not finish there, If you thought that smoking only leads to lung cancer you are quite mistaken my friend! Tobacco smoke contains around 7,000 chemicals and out of them around 70 are cancerous.  The whole process of inhaling and exhaling leads to several drastic effect in the body and can lead to cancer in not only the lungs but also in the mouth, larynx, bladder, cervix, kidneys, pancreas, bone marrow, blood, esophagus, stomach, trachea, colon, rectum, oral cavity and liver. In addition, smoking also causes leukemia. It also raises risk of cancer relapse and recurrence.

Light/menthol cigarettes and cigars are harmful too

There is no such thing as a safe cigar or cigarette. Smoking of any kind is harmful, whether it is in form of pipes, hookah’s, or any light cigarette. They all contain tobacco and are harmful to the body. Any person consuming any of these is at the same risk of smoking related diseases and cancers as any other smoker.

Smoking and heart diseases

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has found that a smoker is more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, a stroke or coronary artery diseases than a non-smoker. The chemicals present in a cigarette effects the entire composition of the blood making it thicker and more prone to form clots. It also leads to formation of plaque, constriction of blood vessels, increases blood pressure and leads to heart diseases.

Smoking weakens your bones

Smoking leads to loss in bone density and makes your bones brittle. This leads to joint pains, loss of teeth and oesteroporosis. This also leads to frequent fractures and slow healing of injuries.

Smoking causes bad breath, tooth decay and loss of vision

I’m sure you are familiar with the term “smoker’s breath”. Smoking comes with this free bonus. And there’s more! It also leads to permanent bad breath due to the “smoker’s palate” (where the roof of a smokers mouth is filled with smoke residue). Also, cigarettes contain tar that coats the teeth giving them an ugly yellowish look and also kills the good bacteria in the mouth. Did you think smoking only effects your lungs and bones? Well that’s not it! Smoking also damages your vision and increases the risk of cataract, optic nerve damage and age-related macular degeneration, all of which leading to blindness.

So now, there’s one question you have to ask yourself; do you still want to light up that next cigarette?? I hope not!