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The Health
Risks of Cigar Smoking
We have all heard the risks associated with smoking
cigarettes, but about cigar smoking?
Are the risks of smoking cigars just as dangerous, or more so?
According to the National Cancer Institute, regular cigar
smoking can result in major health problems. Scientific
research has linked cigar smoking with cancers of the larynx,
lungs, esophagus, and oral cavity. This is because cigar
smokers often tend to retain the smoke in their mouth and
throat, instead of dragging it into their lungs.
Newer research also indicates that cigar smoking may be
strongly linked to the development of pancreatic cancer.
Doctors also caution that individuals who regularly inhale
while enjoying a cigar are also at greater risk of developing
lung disease and heart problems, due to the higher levels of
tar in a cigar, as well as the lack of filter, which, in a
cigarette, cuts down on the level of tars and toxins in the
smoke.
The health threats of cigar smoking appear to increase
dramatically in those individuals who smoke regularly and
inhale while smoking. Someone who smokes three to four cigars
each day will him or herself at eight times the risk of
developing some kind of oral cancer than a nonsmoker. So, not
only are cigars expensive, smelly and pretentious, they are
also worse for your health than cigarettes.
We do not yet know the health risks of smoking the occasional
cigar, but knowing what tobacco smoke does to you, in cigar or
cigarette form, why would you put your body through that kind
of trauma unnecessarily.
It seems clear however that smoking cigars on a daily basis
can pose serious health risks.
Many individuals wonder if cigars are as addictive as
cigarettes. Many wonder why, for instance, so many people
become addicted to cigarettes, and not cigars?
The truth is that any tobacco product can become addictive
because it contains nicotine. It is true that well made cigars
do not have nicotine added to them, but they still have an
addictive quality and there is no good reason to smoke them
anyway, as they have no stimulating properties, especially
with lower levels of nicotine than cigarettes.
Witness the effects of smokeless tobacco products on
individuals. These products, such as chewing tobacco, can
become very addictive, simply because they contain tobacco,
which in turn contains nicotine. Many cigar smokers do not
inhale deeply, thus causing the nicotine to be inhaled
superficially. Cigarette smokers tend to inhale, causing the
nicotine to be absorbed faster and more readily by the lungs.
Even though most cigar smokers inhale the nicotine more
superficially, it is still possible to become addicted if the
user smokes cigars on a regular basis.
If nicotine is so addictive, why don't cigar smokers smoke
gradually more and more? It appears that more people avoid
becoming 'hooked' on cigars for several reasons.
The most obvious reason is that the nicotine from cigars is
inhaled much more superficially than in regular cigarette
smoking, causing less nicotine to be absorbed by the body.
Also, cigars are not as readily accessible as cigarettes. They
are viewed by most as a luxury item, saved for special
occasions and used infrequently.
When cigars are smoked on a regular basis, they can become as
addictive as cigarettes. The health risks of any kind of
smoking increase dramatically as frequency of use increases.
Source:
http://www.smokerswebsite.net |
