World No Tobacco Day 2018- Side Effects of Smoking Cigar

It used to be that cigar smoking was an activity that attracted older men, primarily. It was also a custom here in the United States for new fathers to pass cigars out to their male friends when their baby was born.

Certainly, these niches still exist, but young Americans are picking up cigar smoking in increasing numbers today. If cigar smoke is inhaled, nicotine will enter the bloodstream through the lungs. If not, the nicotine is absorbed through the lining of the mouth. Cigar smoke dissolves more easily in saliva than cigarette smoke because its composition is alkaline. This allows for quick absorption of nicotine, producing dependence without inhalation.

* Cigar Smoking Is Hard on the Heart

A 25-year long study published in the Journal of American Medical Association reported that cigar smokers may suffer as much as 27 percent more risk than that of nonsmokers for coronary heart disease.

* Cigar Smoking Can Contribute to Lung Disease

Cigar smokers are at an increased risk over nonsmokers for chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases such as chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Most cigar smokers don’t inhale, so the risk of COPD is less than that of cigarette smokers. A U.S. study reports that cigar smokers have up to 45 percent greater risk of COPD than that of nonsmokers.

* Cigar Smoking is Bad for Your Oral Health

There is evidence showing that cigar and pipe smoking may also lead to early tooth loss according to a study published in the January 1999 issue of the Journal of the American Dental Association. Researchers from Boston University followed 690 men over the course of 23 years and concluded that those who smoked cigars were 30 percent more likely to lose their teeth than nonsmokers. Pipe smokers were 60 percent more likely to suffer early tooth loss than nonsmokers. Cigar and pipe smokers are also at an increased risk for alveolar bone loss.

* Cigar Smoking Can Cause Cancer

Both cigarette and cigar smokers share a similar risk for cancers of the oral cavity and esophagus.

People who smoke 1 or 2 cigars daily double their risk of oral of esophageal cancer over nonsmokers. Those who smoke 3 to 4 cigars a day increase their risk of oral cancers by 8 times and esophageal cancers by 4 times that of nonsmokers. Risk factors for people who are occasional cigar smokers (less than daily) are not known.