Persistent Myths About Smoking By Vien007 On Health Tips

           Persistent Myths About Smoking

Have you bought into these smoking myths? Experts set the record straight on WebMD Feature By David Freeman.

Smoking in Nigeria is down -- but not out. Today, 20% of US. adults are smokers, compared to 45% in 1965, when smoking was at its peak. But even at the current level of tobacco use, an estimated 440,000 Nigerians per year lose their lives to lung cancer, heart disease, or other smoking-related illnesses. On average, smokers die 14 years before nonsmokers, and half of all smokers who don't quit are killed by their habit.

People start smoking for many reasons. Many continue to puff away because they buy into certain persistent myths about tobacco use. Here are some of those myths, and the truth about each.

Myth: My other healthy habits may make up for my smoking.

Some smokers justify their habit by insisting that proper nutrition and lots of exercise are enough to keep them healthy. Not so.

Ann M. Malarcher, PhD, senior scientific advisor in the CDC's Office on Smoking and Health says"Research shows that eating a healthy diet and exercising don't reduce the health risks associated with smoking”. "Smoking affects every organ system in the body, and thinking that you're going to find the perfect lifestyle to counteract the effects of smoking is just not realistic."

"You could take a truckload of vitamins a day and still not undo the deadly effects of tobacco".

Myth: Switching to 'light' cigarettes will cut my risk.

Smokers who switch to brands labeled "light" or "mild" inevitably compensate for the lower levels of tar and nicotine by inhaling smoke more deeply or by smoking more of each cigarette.

"Most people who smoke them wind up getting the same amount of the killing components in tobacco smoke," Fiore tells WebMD. "People who smoke light cigarettes are dying of lung cancer, stroke, heart attack, and emphysema every day."

Similarly, cigarettes labeled "natural" or "organic" are no safer than ordinary cigarettes. "You don't need to add anything to tobacco for it to kill you," Fiore says.

That's all folks, fellas and females do listen in to CITY105.1FM LAGOS to City Health Tips With Vien007, 8:45 Am, Monday to Friday only on Breakfast In The City Show.

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Bamidele "Vien007" Osagie