We already know that smoking is bad for your health, but new research suggests that it may be even worse than we thought.
According to findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine, smoking contributes to five additional diseases and roughly 60,000 more deaths a year than we originally thought. Before the findings, smoking was estimated to kill about 500,000 people a year by contributing to 21 different diseases and 12 types of cancers. The five additional conditions smoking contributes to are:
- Kidney disease
- Certain infections
- Intestinal disease caused by inadequate blood flow
- Heart ailments not previously attributed to tobacco
- Lung ailments to previously attributed to tobacco
To uncover these conditions, researchers analyzed health conditions between smokers and nonsmokers for more than a decade. They found that smokers were nearly twice as likely to die from infections, kidney disease, respiratory conditions not previously linked to smoking and hypertensive heart disease. Additionally, smokers were six times more likely to die from a rare condition cause by inadequate blood flood to the intestine.
Encouragingly, smoking rates have declined in recent decades. Despite the decline, Brian D. Carter, an epidemiologist at the American Cancer Society, said smoking is still a huge problem in America.
“The smoking epidemic is still ongoing, and there is a need to evaluate how smoking is hurting us as a society, to support clinicians and policy making in public health,” said Carter. “It’s not a done story.”
More Smoking Stats
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recently released some statistics about smoking in America. Here’s a closer look at the smoking landscape in the United States:
- 42 million Americans smoke
- 15 percent of women smoke, while 21 percent of men smoke
- Smoker death rates are two to three times higher than those for people who have never smoked
- On average, smokers die about a decade earlier than non smokers
- Smokers are 20 times more likely to die of lung cancer than nonsmokers
As we mentioned above, smoking is also linked to 12 different types of cancer. Smoking is associated with cancers of the bladder, cervix, colon, esophagus, kidney, larynx, lip, liver, lung, oral cavity, pancreas, and stomach.
Dr. Silverman comments
Smoking is very similar to another topic we blog about a lot – junk food. We know it’s bad for you, we know how it can become addictive, and we know that it is associated with numerous health problems.
The fact of the matter is that it’s a personal choice to smoke or eat poorly. We can shove recommendations, warning labels and health facts in your face, but it’s up to the individual to make the personal choice to make healthier choices. Some intervention techniques like warning labels on cigarette boxes or calorie counts on menus appear to be helping people make better decisions, but ultimately, it’s up to you to take control of your health.
Related source: New York Times