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.
|