September 1, 2017

 Here, I continue to explain just how harmful tobacco really is.

3. Nitrosamines

Tobacco leaves contain nicotine along with various amines, which transform into nitrosamines during combustion or after being absorbed into the body.
Many of these nitrosamines are carcinogenic.
They are particularly known to promote cancer in glandular tissues.
They are closely linked to the development of adenocarcinomas such as lung adenocarcinoma and stomach cancer.
  The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s Study Group on Smoking and Health Issues has reported the following:
“Even in a ventilated indoor environment such as a restaurant, when 10 cigarettes are smoked over 8 hours, the amount of harmful substances that a non-smoker is passively exposed to is as follows: for nicotine, it's equivalent to actively smoking 0.1 cigarettes; however, for carcinogenic nitrosamines, it is nearly equal to the amount inhaled by an active smoker.”
  In other words, this means:
Nicotine primarily affects the smoker, and its impact on non-smokers is relatively limited.
On the other hand, nitrosamines cause nearly the same level of harm to non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke as they do to smokers themselves.

4. Aldehydes

These are generated by the combustion of glycerin (used as a moisturizer), sugar, and other additives in tobacco.
They include formaldehyde and acetaldehyde.
These substances are not only carcinogenic; formaldehyde has strong mucous membrane irritant properties, and acetaldehyde promotes addiction.
Acetaldehyde will be discussed in more detail later.

5. Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS)

This is a collective term for oxygen-related substances with strong oxidizing properties.

Tobacco smoke itself contains reactive oxygen species.
In addition, organic compounds in the smoke, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, undergo enzymatic processing in the lungs and elsewhere, generating large amounts of ROS.
  Reactive oxygen species cause a wide range of harmful effects, including:

①Oxidizing DNA in the cell nucleus, thus promoting carcinogenesis.

②Destroying elastic fibers in the alveoli, leading to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, as well as spontaneous pneumothorax.

③Oxidizing arterial walls, accelerating arteriosclerosis.

④Destroying elastic fibers in the arterial tunica media, causing cerebral aneurysms, aortic aneurysms, and aortic dissections.

⑤Destroying collagen fibers in the skin and bones, increasing wrinkles and causing osteoporosis.
A face that has become wrinkled due to smoking is often referred to as a smoker’s face.

⑥Contributing to conditions such as bronchial asthma, vasospasms in cerebral and coronary arteries, gastric and duodenal ulcers, hair loss, cataracts, and macular degeneration.

To be continued in the next issue.