1. Cancer and Heart Attack
If you smoke, you're as much as 20 times more likely to die of lung cancer. But long before that, you'll find your lung capacity decreased. You may develop asthma or emphysema (often called "lung rot"). 90 per cent of all cases of emphysema are caused by smoking. Research also indicates that smoking tobacco is a contributing cause of leukemia and cancers of the bladder, stomach, kidney and pancreas. Female smokers are at greater risk for developing cervical cancer.
Smoking is a major cause of heart attacks. Within one minute of your first puff on a cigarette, your heart begins to beat faster. Your blood vessels clamp down, raising your blood pressure and forcing your heart to work harder. Early signs of heart disease and stroke can be found even in young smokers.
2. Osteoporosis
Smokers have faster rates of bone loss and a higher risk of fractures than non-smokers. Women who smoke also tend to enter menopause at an earlier age than non-smokers. This means more rapid bone loss takes place at an earlier age.
3. Addiction
Nicotine in cigarettes is a powerful, addictive drug that enters your brain within just 10 seconds of taking a puff on a cigarette. It alters how your brain works and can be harder to quit than heroin.
4. Wrinkles and Skin Damage
Smoking decreases blood flow to the skin. This leads to leathery-looking skin and increased wrinkling, even when you're young. Tar from tobacco smoke turns your fingers yellow and stains your fingernails. Smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to develop psoriasis -- a disfiguring red and silver rash that can occur anywhere on your body.
5. Cataracts
The more you smoke, the greater your chance of developing cataracts -- an eye problem that can cause blindness. Even former smokers have a 50 percent higher risk of developing a cataract.
*Adapted from Health Canada - http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hc-ps/tobac-tabac/index-eng.php
