Cigarette: What You Should Know

Cigarette has been associated with many diseases such as liver disease, kidney disease and some various forms of cancer. People living in temperate regions of the world tends to form a habit of smoking cigarette, which most says is to worm up the body. Is obvious that cigarette contains nicotine, a substance that tends to cut of one of the processes of chemical energy generation during the Electron transport chain and channels it to heat energy production. But cigarette do no only contain nicotine, it also contains about 7,000 other chemical, that most can be harmful to its consumers. Cigarette smoking can easily turn to an addiction. Addicted smokers need enough nicotine over a day to ‘feel normal’ – to satisfy cravings or control their mood. Research has shown that more than 480,000 people in the United States die from illnesses related to tobacco use each year.

Substance found in cigarette  and it’s effects to the body

Nicotine

• Increased alertness and concentration

• Feelings of relaxation

• Warms the body

• Initial stimulation, then reduction in activity of brain and nervous system

• Increased blood pressure and heart rate

• Cough

• Dizziness

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea, abdominal cramps and vomiting

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide can readily displaces oxygen by binding to a to a protein in the red blood cell called haemoglobin. haemoglobin are as the oxygen carriers of the blood, the transport oxygen round the body. Carbon monoxide is a competitive inhibitor of oxygen and the sometime has a higher binding affinity for the haemoglobin than oxygen. When it binds to the haemoglobin to form  a compound known as caboxyl haemoglobin. In response, the body makes more red blood cells to carry the oxygen it needs, but the blood becomes thicker as more red blood cells are produced to assist with the oxygen transport. As a result the oxygen demands of most tissues like the brain, heart, muscles and other organs will not be met. This can result to problems such as fatigue and other complications or even death.

Tar

Tar is the collective term for the various chemical particles suspended in tobacco smoke. Most of these chemical particles like the benzo(a)pyrene can cause cancer and other health complications such as kidney failure etc. Tar is known to be sticky and brown in colour, and stains teeth, fingernails and lung tissue.

Metals

Tobacco smoke also contains harmful metallic compound including arsenic, cadmium and lead. Several of these metals are carcinogenic.

Hydrogen cyanide

Hydrogen cyanide has being observed to halt the clearance system which helps to remove foreign particles from the lungs. The lungs  contain tiny hairs called Cilia. Cilia helps to clean the lungs by moving foreign substances out. Hydrogen cyanide prevent the cilia from doing it's job properly, which means the poisonous chemicals in tobacco smoke can build up inside the lungs. the accumulation these foreign particles can easily result to some respiratory disorder

Oxidizing chemicals

Oxidizing chemicals are highly reactive chemicals which include free radicals. The can damage the heart muscles and blood vessels through their reactions at molecular level with the molecules of these tissues. They also react with cholesterol, leading to the build-up of fatty material on artery walls. Their actions lead to heart disease, stroke and blood vessel disease, even cancer.

Other health effects of cigarette

• Impotence, which may be due to the effects of smoking on blood flow and damage to the blood vessels of the penis.

• Reduced bone density

• Increase the risk of developing cerebrovascular disease (damaged arteries that supply blood to your brain)

• Studies has shown that, smoking contributes to type 2 diabetes

• Smoking increases the risk of age-related muscular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults over the age of 65.

Conclusion

Its obvious that the damaging health effect of cigarette is by far more than its benefit. Majority of the compounds in the cigarette is found to be unfriendly to our body system, so therefore, should be avoided. While the effects of smoking may not be immediate, the complications and damage can last for years. The good news is that quitting smoking can reverse many effects. Cigarette addicts should be advised to seek the aid of a doctor to control their addiction.