4 non-obvious consequences of smoking. They apply to passive smokers as well

certified clinical geneticist, nutritionist, expert of the UniProf Academy of Physicians

What non-obvious consequences do smokers face?

Nicotine is an alkaloid (an organic substance found in plants and some fungi) found in the leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) native to the Americas. When ingested with food or through the lungs, it reaches the brain in seconds, dissolving in the blood, and is quickly eliminated from the body. When neurons sense that nicotine is slipping away from the receptors, it causes a certain degree of anxiety – a condition called a “withdrawal crisis.”

What are the dangers of cigarettes

Nicotine can be alkaline or acidic. Acidic does not pass through the mucous membranes of the mouth. Such nicotine must pass through the bronchial tree until it reaches the alveoli, where the alkaline environment of the body contributes to its alkalinization. Already through the lungs, it is distributed throughout the blood vessels and reaches the brain.

Absorption of alkaline nicotine occurs in the mouth, and the drug is carried by the blood directly to the brain. It is alkaline nicotine that is used in cigarettes, it has greater penetration and causes greater attachment. This is why cigar and pipe smokers are less addicted to nicotine than cigarette smokers.

Nicotine has a permanent effect on the brain. Nerve centers (dopamine, meso-limbos, contiguous nucleus) recognize it one at a time, so the substance continues to act on the brain even at night while you sleep and don’t smoke.

Nicotine metabolism occurs in the liver. Normally, 80% of nicotine is “processed” by the body in 15 minutes. But in some cases, due to genetics, this process is slowed down. People who tend to absorb nicotine more slowly consume more tobacco.

If the effect of nicotine is too strong, there is a negative pause in the response of brain centers, especially the nucleus adjoining and dopamine centers (dopamine is responsible for the feeling of greater pleasure). This increases cravings and anxiety, the person needs to smoke again to compensate for the lost sensations. In other words, the more you smoke, the more you crave.

Many people are used to hearing about the harms of smoking: the risks of cancer and bronchopulmonary diseases and other things. But there are also less obvious problems associated with this bad habit.

Osteoporosis

Smoking releases toxic components that interfere with the functioning of young bone tissue cells responsible for bone formation. Because of its harmful effects on skeletal mineral density, smoking increases the risk of fractures and also causes loss of bone mass. As a result, bones become more brittle and more prone to damage.

Visual impairment

Since smoking provokes high oxidative stress (a kind of aging process), it also increases the destructive processes in the retina, the area responsible for transmitting the images recorded by the eye to the brain. Cigarette smoking causes degeneration of the yellow spot, which in turn can lead to blindness.

For the same reason, smoking can affect changes in color recognition as well as the perception of contrast in images.

Smoking addiction can increase the risk of developing cataracts. This is because the chemicals in cigarettes alter the metabolism of the lens, the area responsible for focusing light reflected from the iris beneath the retina.

Herniated disc

Smoking impairs microcirculation of small blood vessels. Since blood works as a bridge to transport nutrients from the cartilage disc between the vertebrae, interruption of this flow causes changes to that disc.

Although the primary cause of herniated discs is genetic predisposition, smoking accelerates their development.

Gastric ulcers

Cigarettes are aggressive to the gastric mucosa, making the gastric tract more vulnerable to gastritis and ulcers. Nicotine can decrease mucus and bicarbonate secretion and increase acid production. Increased acid can cause irritation or inflammation of the gastric mucosa (gastritis) and, in the long term, ulcers.

Active smokers are directly linked to the most obvious risks of smoking, but passive smokers are also subject to all of the risks mentioned above. Only one third of the smoke produced by smoking is inhaled by the smoker and two thirds is exhaled into the environment. Therefore, everyone around them is also exposed to the smoke.