Cigar Smoking Is Perilous to Your Health
Cigar tobacco use has increased more than 50 percent in the last decade. Among women, cigar tobacco use has increased 5-fold.
Who smokes cigars? Mostly men aged 35 – 64 with higher education and incomes.
Smoking cigars has risks.
• Cancers of the lung, lip, tongue, mouth, throat, larynx (voice box), and esophagus are linked with cigar smoking.
• There is a strong link between cigar use of tobacco and cancer of the pancreas.
• Daily cigar smokers have an increased risk of developing heart and lung illness, in particular if you inhale.
The more you smoke, the greater your risk.
Compared to a non-smoker –
• smoking 1 – 2 cigars a day doubles your risk of oral and esophageal cancer
• smoking 3 – 4 cigars increases that risk 8-fold
• cigar smokers have higher rates of lung cancer and chronic lung illness
Risks to your health are related to how often you smoke a cigar, how much smoke you are exposed to, and the amount of smoke you inhale. Cigars directly expose your lips, mouth, tongue, throat and larynx to smoke and cancer-causing substances. an unlit cigar held between your lips exposes your lips and mouth to cancer-causing substances.
Cigars produce big amounts of second-hand smoke. This is because they are bigger and contain more tobacco than cigarettes. Some premium cigars contain the same amount of tobacco as an entire pack of cigarettes.
Second-hand smoke contains poisons and irritants. The aging process of cigars increases their concentration. It also increases production of cancer-causing substances. These substances are released when the cigar is smoked.
When you smoke a cigar, the nicotine is absorbed through the lining of your mouth. When you smoke a cigarette, the nicotine is inhaled into your lungs. Nicotine, whether inhaled or absorbed, may be addictive.
The health benefits of quitting cigar use of tobacco result soon after quitting. The benefits of quitting include –
• Blood pressure (BP) returns to normal levels.
• Heart rate returns to normal levels.
• Breathing patterns return to normal levels.
• Your risk for developing cancer decreases.
Talk with your main care team about getting help to stop smoking.