How Smoking Affects More Organs Than Your Lungs 

There are many reasons why smoking is bad for you, including the fact that smoking damages your lungs and causes serious lung diseases. However, smoking harms more organs than just your lungs. 

Smoking tobacco is bad for your body and is one of the many causes of heart disease. Cigarette smoking is a contributing factor to as many as 480,000 deaths per year in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People who do not smoke tobacco live 10 years longer on average than regular smokers. It is clear that smoking affects every organ of your body and is more serious than simply a lung issue. 

Smoking causes many types of cancer

Smoking is a leading cause of a variety of cancers. The American Cancer Society reports that smoking places you at a higher risk of developing mouth, kidney, liver, bladder, pancreas, stomach, and throat cancers. These are only a few examples, as the list continues. 

There is no safe way to smoke tobacco. It causes issues to nearly every organ in the body. Inhaling tobacco smoke can cause mutations to DNA and genes that result in cancerous cells developing in any body part. 

Smoking affects your heart

Smoking tobacco takes a serious toll on your cardiovascular system. You inhale carcinogens when smoking, which enter your lungs and are then delivered to your heart through blood vessels. Your heart then pumps chemical-filled blood to the rest of your body. Smoking and heart disease are definitely closely associated. 

Cardiovascular disease is a broad term that refers to conditions that affect your heart and blood vessels. Heart attacks and strokes are some examples of conditions that result from cardiovascular disease. Tobacco smoke is notorious for causing cardiovascular disease that is often fatal. Smoking creates a lack of oxygen in the bloodstream, which makes your whole body less healthy.

Smoking can cause your teeth to rot

Your oral hygiene may suffer if you are a smoker. Smoking causes severe damage to your teeth and gums. Smoking can lead to gum disease, which can be difficult to treat. It can also stain teeth and eventually cause tooth loss. 

Smokers often have bad breath because smoking tobacco causes saliva to decrease. In some serious cases, mouth cancer can be a result of smoking. Smoking can cause your teeth and gums to decay rapidly. 

It can affect your reproductive capabilities

Infertility can be caused by smoking tobacco. Genetic materials found in sperm and egg cells are damaged by the chemicals in tobacco smoke. Both men and women can become infertile due to smoking. 

Female smokers go through menopause earlier than non-smokers because their eggs have died quicker than usual. Men who smoke are more likely to have erectile dysfunction and decreased sperm count and quality. Your reproductive health can be negatively affected by smoking tobacco. 

Your immune system is weakened

Your immune system, a network of cells and proteins that protect your essential organs from foreign substances, helps shield your body from diseases and infections. The immune system protects us from a wide range of diseases, including the flu and COVID-19. 

Chemicals found in tobacco smoke interfere with the immune system, leaving smokers more vulnerable to infectious diseases. The effect smoking has on the immune system is disastrous. 

BASS Medical Group understands the damages of smoking and what it does to your whole body, not just your lungs. It is not easy to quit smoking, but it is necessary if you want to live healthier and longer. Visit our website for more information or call our Walnut Creek office at (925) 350-4044.