Experts have identified close to 4000 chemical compounds in tobacco smoke, out of which 50 are responsible for causing various types of cancer.
According to the World Health Organization, globally a person dies every 6 seconds as a result of smoking. Besides, one of every two smokers eventually dies of a disease linked to smoking, such as cancer, heart attack or some other heart and circulatory system disease. However, the good news is that as soon as we quit smoking, our body reacts at once. By giving up smoking, our body keeps regenerating day by day and week by week, and our life expectancy becomes higher and higher.
What happens when somebody quits smoking?
- 20 minutes after the last cigarette, pulse will start coming back to normal, and blood pressure as well as peripheral circulation will start to ameliorate, ensuring a flow of blood rich in oxygen in the blood vessels.
- 8 hours after the last cigarette, carbon monoxide in your system will have disappeared and it will be replaced by oxygen needed by cells need to function properly.
- One day after the last cigarette, the risk of having a heart attack starts to diminish as the pulse, the arterial tension and the oxygen level in the blood become normal again.
- 48 hours after the last cigarette, the sense of smell and taste will start coming back.
- After 2-3 months, blood circulation will still be improving and breathing will be easier as well. Your lungs will produce less mucus, and the body will endure harder physical activities.
- Between 1 and 9 months after having quit smoking, there will be a significant difference in the intensity of coughing, and lungs will be functioning almost perfectly.
- After a year, the risk of having a heart attack will be reduced to half compared to the previous year spent smoking.
- After 10 years, the risk of developing lung cancer and other tumors will decrease significantly. However, the risk of developing lung cancer will still be higher than in a person who has never smoked.