By now, most people are well aware that smoking causes lungcancer. Cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and chewing tobacco kill morethan 434,000 Americans each year accounting for one out of fivepremature deaths in this country. Lung cancer is just the firstin a long list of tobacco related illnesses:
Bladder Cancer - Smoking causes 40% of all cases of bladdercancer.
Breast Cancer - Women who smoke are 75% more likely to developbreast cancer.
Cervical Cancer - Up to one third of all cases of cervical cancerare directly attributable to smoking.
Childhood Respiratory Ailments - Children exposed to parentstobacco smoke have six times as many respiratory infections askids of nonsmoking parents.
Diabetes - Smoking decreases the body's absorption of insulin.
Emphysema - Smoking accounts for up to 85% of all deathsattributable to emphysema.
Esophageal Cancer - Smoking accounts for 80% of all cases ofesophageal cancer.
Gastrointestinal Cancer - Smoking at least doubles the risk ofcancer of the stomach and duodenum.
Heart Disease - Smokers are up to four times more likely todevelop cardiovascular disease than nonsmokers.
Infertility - Couples in which at least one member smokes aremore than three times more likely to have trouble conceiving.
Kidney Cancer - Smoking causes 40% of all cases of kidney cancer.
Mouth Cancer - Tobacco causes the vast majority of all cancers ofthe mouth
Premature Aging - Constant exposure to tobacco smoke prematurelywrinkles the facial skin and yellows the teeth and fingernails.
Stroke - Smoking doubles the risk of stroke among men and women.
Throat Cancer - The vast majority of cases of pharyngeal cancerare directly related to smoking.
While smoking has officially been recognized as a cause of lungcancer, scientists have also confirmed another tobacco danger,that breathing the air containing someone else's smoke (secondhand smoke) poses many of the same risk as smoking yourself .
Doctors and Scientists have been reporting on the dangers oftobacco and smoking for nearly four decades. Many seriousillnesses are directly attributed to smoking. If you want tolive a longerFeature Articles, healthier life quit smoking today!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Dr. Osgoodby was a finalist in the "EAS Body for Life" Contest.Stop by his web page at http://bestbodyever.com to see his beforeand after pictures and subscribe to his monthly newsletter.