What Is The Relationship Between Smoking And Cancer?

Contrary to popular belief, nicotine alone does not cause cancer. Nicotine is one of the thousands of chemicals found in tobacco, and dozens of the compounds, particularly tar which gives cigarettes and chewing tobacco their flavor, are known as carcinogens.  Nicotine is both a sedative and a stimulant. As nicotine enters the body, the individual experience a ‘kick’. This kick happens because nicotine stimulates the adrenal glands, which results in the release of adrenaline. When adrenaline kicks in, the body stimulates. Along with adrenaline being released, there is also an immediate release of glucose and an increase in heart rate, breathing activity, and blood pressure.

However, although nicotine alone does not cause cancer, it does not mean that it is completely safe. The U.S. Surgeon General has found that nicotine exposure during pregnancy, can seriously harm the fetus. It also has a negative impact on brain development in adolescents. The biggest cause of cancer known to this day is smoking. The links between smoking and cancer are very clear, and it accounts for more than 1 in 2 deaths, and 3 in 20 cancer cases. Good news is that many of cancer-causing deaths are preventable, by giving up smoking!

How does smoking cause cancer?

Well, smoking causes cancer to develop by damaging our DNA, which includes genes that are meant to protect us from cancer. What has been found to cause DNA damage is most of the chemicals that are found in cigarettes such as benzene, polonium-210, nitrosamines etc. If this isn’t already bad news, it’s even worse by other chemicals in cigarettes. Chemicals such as arsenic and nickel interfere with the process of repairing damaged DNA, which makes it even more likely for cells to turn cancer-causing. The very same chemicals found in cigarettes make it even harder for smokers to remove toxins from their body.

What increases the risk of cancer?

Obviously, a much higher risk of lung cancer is posed to smokers compared to non-smokers, no matter what type of cigarettes they smoke, as there is no such way to safely use tobacco. Little difference does it make if they are low-tar or lighter cigarettes, as the chances of developing cancer are not lower compared to smokers of average cigarettes. This happens because smokers tend to change the way they smoke in order to satisfy their nicotine craving, thus, they take bigger puffs or simply smoke more cigarettes. The more cigarettes you smoke per day, the higher your risk of cancer. Studies also found that the number of years you smoke affects your cancer risk even more than the number of cigarettes per day. Example: smoking one pack of cigarettes a day for 40 years is more dangerous than smoking two packs a day for 20 years. And no, leading a healthy lifestyle cannot cancel out the risks of smoking, so the best way to reduce the risk of cancer is to give up smoking altogether.

Which cancers are caused by smoking?

The smoke along with chemicals that are released when smoking, enter the bloodstream and affect the whole body. This is why smoking causes a lot of diseases including at least 15 types of cancer, heart and lung diseases. Out of all cancers, the lung cancer survival is the lowest of them all, and at the same time the most common cause of cancer death.

When smoking, the risks of developing 14 other cancers apart from lung cancer increase and it includes cancers of the mouth, the upper throat, nose and sinuses, larynx, the food pipe, liver, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bowel, bladder, ovaries, cervix, along with some types of leukaemia and breast cancer.

How long does it take for smoking to cause cancer?

As said earlier, smoking causes DNA damage that later causes cancer. Although our bodies are designed in such way as to deal with a bit of damage, however, it is hard for the body to cope with the number of harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, as each cigarette CAN damage DNA in many lung cells, but it is the buildup of damage in the same cell that can turn cancerous. Research shows that for every 15 cigarettes smoked there is a DNA change which could cause a cell to turn cancerous. This is why it’s better to quit smoking altogether. However, that alone doesn’t help either, as even if you’ve never lit up a cigarette in your life, you can still take in harmful chemicals when you’re around a smoker. This is called secondhand smoking, which is the combination of smoke from the burning end of cigarettes and the smoke that is breathed out by smokers.

This secondhand smoking can expose you to at least 70 kinds of cancer risks. What you can do, is take a pledge to make your car and home no-smoking zones. In fact, today more than in 1964, smokers have a greater risk for lung cancer, even though they smoke fewer cigarettes. This is because of the change in how cigarettes are made and what chemicals they contain. 

You might also want to read: 

What Are The Nicotine Effects And How Does It Work?

Here’s What You Need To Know About Nicotine Withdrawal Symptoms

Nicotine Vs. Caffeine: Who Exactly Is The Villain?