Think there’s no harm in only a cigarette here and there? Think again.
Smoking is a hard habit to break because tobacco contains nicotine, which is highly addictive. Like heroin or other addictive drugs, the body and mind quickly become so used to the nicotine in cigarettes that a person needs to have it just to feel normal. People start smoking for a variety of different reasons.
Cigarette smoking is the No. 1 cause of preventable illness and death in the U.S.
Now; current research shows precisely how much risk smoking conveys in regards to developing lung disease.
What is surprising, says pulmonologist Humberto Choi, MD, is that light smokers had greater danger than they might think.
“The light smokers did develop emphysema at a higher rate compared with the individuals who quit smoking,” says Dr Choi, that didn’t take part in the analysis.
The most significant factor contributing to a person’s likelihood for developing lung disease was how long a person was a smoker — the longer they smoked, the higher the risk.
The takeaway: No amount of smoking is risk-free
Dr Choi says the study results add to previous research that shows no amount of tobacco is risk-free. Even light smokers can develop deadly lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary (lung) disease, or COPD.
“I think it’s a misconception that because you smoke quite lightly, perhaps just one or two cigarettes per day, that perhaps that could be a secure practice because you aren’t smoking a complete pack, or two packs a day,” he says. “You may believe that it’s safe. Along with also a body of evidence is demonstrating that it is not.”
Quitting smoking at any given stage in life can lower an individual’s chance of developing lung disorder, Dr Choi adds. So it is truly never too late to stop.
Results of the study were presented in the American Thoracic Society 2018 International Conference.
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