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• Highlights
• Introduction
• Nicotine Addiction
• Health Risks
• Quitting Smoking
• Symptoms of Withdrawal
• Failure to Quit
• Lifestyle Changes
• Resources
• References

Smoking

Description

An in-depth report on the health risks of smoking and how to quit.

Lifestyle Changes

Smokers and former smokers should immediately begin to implement a healthier lifestyle and change any other behaviors that might be damaging their health.

Healthy Diet

Everyone should also maintain a healthy diet, with foods rich in whole grains and fruits and vegetables (particularly dark colored ones). Avoid saturated fats and instead choose monounsaturated fats, which are found in olive oil or fats from oily fish. Two studies have indicated that eating fish more than twice a week might help limit the tobacco damage in people who do not smoke more than a pack and a half a day.

Vitamins and Supplements

Even with a healthful diet, however, smoking reduces the levels of a number of vitamins, importantly vitamin C. Some research suggests that supplementation of folic acid, a B vitamin, and the antioxidants vitamins E and C and selenium may improve lung function or reduce the damage done by cigarette smoke. Studies have shown that daily vitamin E supplements are associated with reduced risk for prostate cancer among smokers and that higher levels of vitamin E are linked to a lower risk for lung cancer. The best way of achieving healthy levels of important nutrients is from healthy foods.

Women who are pregnant and continue to smoke must be sure to take appropriate vitamins, particularly folic acid. In this way, they might reduce the increased risk of fetal injury and death, although they do not eliminate that risk.

Exercise

Regular exercise reduces a smoker's risk of heart disease (although still not to the level of a nonsmoker). Exercise does not lower a smoker's risk for lung cancer or emphysema.

Regular Check-Ups

If you smoke, you should be screened for any smoking-related disorders. Have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked regularly. Women should have annual Pap smears to detect cervical cancer. All older adults should be screened for colon cancer. Computed tomography (CT) screening programs, which are becoming increasingly available, may detect lung cancer at an early stage. Ask your health care provider if you should have this test, and if your insurance will cover it.

• Review Date: 9/18/2006
• Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital

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