Dangers of Cigars
For cigar aficionados, it is the best tasting thing on Earth. When cigar becomes an
addiction, and generally it does, there could also be negative effects. These effects may come as just simple bad
breath but it could also be worse. This article is here to remind you that
you have to take care of your health, for your health is very important. There are health risks that could be
associated with cigar smoking:
(1) Heavy cigar and pipe smoking is associated with the development of lung
cancer.
(2) Cigar and pipe smokers have a lower risk of lung cancer than the
cigarette smoker. This finding is said to relate to differences in inhalation practices and to the age at which
smoking began.
(3) The lower risk of lung cancer for Jewish males does not apply for cigar
and pipe smoking, indicating the lower overall risk of lung cancer for Jewish males to relate to the lesser usage
of cigarettes rather than to constitutional factors.
(4) The age of male lung cancer patients who have smoked only cigars and
pipes is older than for cigarette smokers, possibly reflecting an older age at the start of smoking and longer life
expectancy of cigar and pipe smokers as compared to cigarette smokers, or a lesser deposition of tobacco smoke in
the respiratory tract of cigar and pipe smokers due to the fact that they are predominantly non-inhalers. It is
also possible that this reflects the secular changes in smoking habits that has taken place in the general
population.
(5) While light cigars (one to two a day) or pipe smoking (one to four a day) does
not appear to be associated with an increased risk of lung cancer, heavier cigar and pipe smokers need to realize
that their risk for lung cancer as well as for other types of cancer and diseases is quite appreciable.
Some studies show that 2-3 cigars per day, not inhaled, pose no significant health threat. There are no
studies which implicate "light" cigar smoke with an increased health risk. However, cigars certainly are implicated
in lung and other forms of cancer, and once you smoke 5+ a day, the risks become substantial. Cigars cannot be
considered benign.
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