All of us are well aware of the detrimental effects of smoking cigarettes and using products made from tobacco. Despite the facts, not many of us care enough to quit the habit or spread awareness about the dangerous effects of smoking on the human body. Smoking, both direct as well as passive, affects men and women equally. However, the effects of smoking on men’s body are far more dangerous than they are to women. This is one of the reasons why we are going to discuss the causes that just can’t be overlooked when it comes to cigarette smoking. So, if you are wondering why you need to stop smoking, then check out these effects of cigarette smoking on the male body.
Lung diseases
Amongst the more than 25 severe diseases caused by smoking, lung diseases are the most predominant. In case you are not aware, the damage which is caused to the lungs by smoking is totally irreversible. It also causes severe damage to the airways and the delicate air sacs that provide oxygen to our body. Chronic smoking leads to permanent obstruction of the airways, causing trouble with normal breathing. Smoking also leads to some other diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema. According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, amongst all the cases of lung cancer, more than 90% are caused by smoking, both active and passive smoking. Clearly, these are long term effects of smoking that put smokers at more than 23% danger than a non-smoker.
Types of cancer
Apart from lung cancer, there are various other types of cancer that are caused by smoking. People who smoke mainly augument the risk of developing mouth, throat and mouth cancer. Apart from these, chronic smokers are also likely to get affected by acute myeloid leukemia. Other types of cancer like kidney cancer, pancreatic cancer, bladder cancer and stomach cancer may also have smoking as an underlying cause. All in all, according to the American Cancer Society, people who smoke on a regular basis unconsciously put themselves at the risk of various types of cancer.
Impotency
A major and the most highlighted effect of smoking on men’s body is impotency. According to studies, people who smoke a lot on a regular basis are likely to suffer from impotency in their midlife. In fact, smoking increases the risk of impotency to around 50% amongst men who are in their 30s and 40s. According to a study conducted by the Lahey Hitchcock Medical Center, Burlington, Massachusetts, smoking causes trouble with spontaneous erection. This trouble is mainly caused by constriction of blood vessels to the penis.
Lowered libido
Erectile dysfunction contributes towards decreased sexual desire. The heavier a man smokes, the more difficulty he experiences in maintaining a normal sex life. Erectile dysfunction and lowered sex drive may have several serious repercussions on a man’s personal life and lead to breakdown of some of his emotional relationships. It may also cause several psychological effects like anxiety, depression and loss of confidence. Chain smokers are also found to be suffering from poor physical performance when it comes to athletics and sports. Since these are long term side effects, some of the aforementioned effects might not be evident in men who have just taken up smoking.
Genetic complications
Nicotine, which is present in cigarettes, can damage the DNA of men along with some other chemicals that are present in cigarettes. This can be called as one of the greatest effects of smoking on men’s bodies. These chemicals damage the DNA in sperms causing genetic complications for the future generations. This can cause complications like miscarriage, cancer and various birth defects. Luckily, these complications can be averted or repaired by quitting the habit. Since a man’s body produces sperm once every 74 days, this process helps in the cleaning out of the damaged sperms. Hence, the concerned person can get rid of this problem in about 3 months.
Cardiovascular diseases
According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is one of the basic causes of several cardiovascular diseases. According to the same report, smokers are twice the risk of coronary artery disease (coronary heart disease) than non-smokers. Another study conducted by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute states that tobacco damages the blood vessels and causes plaque buildup in the arteries. This very fact increases the risk of heart attacks amongst the people who smoke heavily on a daily basis. The hardening of arteries, arrhythmia, heart palpitation and other such heart diseases are also caused by smoking.
Premature aging
Smoking is one of the strongest reasons for premature aging, along with a hectic lifestyle, pollution and poor nutrition. When it comes to premature aging, smoking is a factor that just cannot be neglected. According to the experts, smoking leads to physical effects like sagging of skin, crow’s feet, laughter lines, wrinkles, dark circles, dry, pale and yellow skin and fingernails, and all sorts of skin damage. Nicotine reduces blood flow inside the body and destroys elastin and collagen from the skin cells. Elastin and collagen play a vital role in keeping the skin glowing and young. Smoking is also associated with several skin disorders like psoriasis.
Hair care troubles
According to the British Medical Journal, there is a definite connection between hair problems and smoking. People who are chronic smokers are likely to suffer from hair problems like hair loss, gray hair, male pattern baldness, dandruff and other such problems. However, it is also crucial to keep in mind that the same study failed to find any casual links that may state the direct connection between health of the hair and smoking. All in all, one can definitely consider smoking as one of the threats to your hair care.
Reduces reproductive health
Along with various problems associated with the sexual health, there are a few more problems that affect a man who smokes on a regular basis. Amongst these problems are infertility, low sperm mobility, low sperm count, and low sperm quality, etc. People suffering from infertility caused by smoking also have slow response in recovering from it. All these effects are long term effects of smoking and they also need a lot of time to bring your life back to normal. Hence, slowly reducing and then ultimately quitting the habit of smoking is the best option.
Digestive disorders
Smoking may also affect the digestive health of a person and may cause short term as well as long term problems to the digestive organs of a person. However, it is important to understand that these problems depend on various factors like the quantity of smoking, age of a man when he started smoking, number of years he has been smoking, and the amount resistance to nicotine, tobacco and other chemicals that his body has developed. Smoking may cause digestive troubles like nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. in certain cases.
Other effects
Apart from all the effects of smoking on men’s bodies, there are a few more effects of smoking that you need to get acquainted with. Men with severe addiction to cigarettes suffer from various side effects like troubled dental health, bad breath, sore throat, cold, peptic ulcers, acid reflux, halitosis, trouble while breathing or laughing loudly. Such men are also deprived of proper functioning of heart and lungs, causing troubles in their day to day chores like daily exercises or occasional sports activities. All in all, if you need to stay away from all the aforementioned short term and long term side effects of smoking, start quitting right away!
