According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an estimated 23.9 percent of people in the United States over the age of 12 were current cigarette smokers in 2008. However, the American Heart Association (AHA) reports that cigarette smoking is responsible for 440,000 deaths each year. MedlinePlus reports that both cigarettes (smoking tobacco) and chewing (smokeless) tobacco are bad for your health, and cause multiple and often fatal health problems.
Cardiovascular Disease
One negative effect that tobacco and nicotine addiction has on the health of the body is cardiovascular disease. AHA reports that cigarette smokers are two to three times more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than people who do not smoke. Also according to AHA, of the 440,000 deaths each year caused by cigarette smoking, 135,000 are due to smoking-related cardiovascular diseases. Nicotine in tobacco products causes an increase in blood pressure and heart rate, and a narrowing of the arteries. Carbon monoxide that is inhaled when tobacco is smoked decreases the amount of oxygen carried by the blood to feed the body's tissues. The AHA reports that carbon monoxide and nicotine damages the artery walls, which leads to the deposition of fat and narrowing of arteries, which further increases blood pressure. Damaged vessels and high blood pressure are all risk factors for heart failure. Furthermore, smoking tobacco causes the blood to clot more easily, which may cause a heart attack or stroke.
Cancer
Another negative effect caused by smoking or chewing tobacco is cancer. MedlinePlus reports that cigarette smoking causes 87 percent of lung cancer cases in the United States. According to the American Lung Association (ALA) cigarette smoke contains 69 chemicals that are known to cause cancer. Smokeless tobacco is also a known cause of cancer, and is the leading cause of cancer in the mouth.
Lung Disease
A third negative effect of tobacco is lung disease, caused by the cigarette smoking. The ALA reports that smoking cigarettes are responsible for 80 to 90 percent of COPD (including emphysema and chronic bronchitis) deaths. Emphysema is a condition where the tissue in the lungs becomes stretched out and lacks the elasticity of normal lung tissue. This prevents breathing air from efficiently transferring oxygen into the blood stream. Long-term swelling of the tissue in the airways and an overproduction of mucus characterize chronic bronchitis. Both the swelling and the mucus make it difficult to breath, causing even normal activity to be difficult. Thus, tobacco and nicotine invariably lead to heart disease, cancer, and chronic lung disease. Even though these are very real threats, million of Americans find that nicotine addiction is hard to break.
