Cigarette smoking has, in the past, been associated with various health complications. However, a new study has established that individuals who smoke are at higher risk of developing 56 different types of diseases.
Cigarette smoking increases the risk of developing various illnesses
Surprisingly, most types of cancers also make the list. Additionally, smoking could bring other diseases affecting body organs and systems, including the liver, pancreas, and eyes. According to Oxford University researchers, smoking increases the risk of being sick from conditions such as diabetes, peptic ulcer, asthma, cataract, as well as other metabolic diseases.
A recent study delving deeper into the effects of smoking collaborated with the University of Oxford’s findings and those of other institutions in China. In the study published in the Lancet Public Health, researchers compared smokers versus non-smokers. Researchers also worked with those who currently smoke and checked their risk of developing or succumbing to certain diseases.
The extensive study examined 85 different death causes and more than 480 diseases. Researchers collected data from China Kadoorie Biobank. Health Europa indicates that over 512,00 adults were enrolled on the study between 2004-2008. Researchers followed the participants for a median of 1 year.
Men smoked regularly (74.3%) at some point compared to women (3.2%), which was a significant difference. Senior author and professor Liming Li stated that nearly two-thirds of young Chinese men smoked cigarettes. Li also mentioned that most young men started smoking as early as 20 years.
Regular smokers are 10% more likely to be sick
Compared to those that have never smoked before, regular smokers had a 10% increased risk of becoming sick. The disease they were highly at risk for was larynx cancer. The guys who smoked frequently and lived in metropolitan areas were at the highest risk among this group of males. The researchers found that compared to people living in rural areas, these groups smoked more cigarettes and started smoking earlier.
The best part was that their research revealed lower risks for individuals who gave up smoking before health issues appeared.
