Highlights
- Smoking has long been linked with triggering a host of ailments
- Common issues are tied to the respiratory system
- Hypertension, heart diseases are some of the other ailments
Excessive smoking has long been linked to triggering a host of ailments ranging from respiratory issues to even cancer. Tobacco abuse is one of leading causes of oral and lung cancer in the country. A recently conducted study carried out by experts in Mumbai further linked excessive smoking consumption to risk of developing heart diseases, hypertension, eating disorders, poor sleep among others. According to the World Health Organisation's latest report on the global prevalence of smoking, an estimated 101,399,700 people smoke in India today. The figure seems to be on a downward trend as compared to the year 2000 when the number was reported as 138,505,200. WHO estimates the total number of smokers in India to go further down to 83,514,00 by the year 2025.
How smoking affects your health
As per the points stated by the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital and Medical Research Institute, tobacco smoking can have severe adverse effects on health.
"The chemicals in tobacco harm your blood cells and damage the function of your heart. Tobacco smoking can cause lung disease by damaging your airways and the small air sacs found in your lungs," as mentioned on the hospital's official website.
Tobacco smoking has also been like to brain damage and cognitive decline, "nicotine, the drug that makes tobacco addictive, goes to your brain very quickly," as mentioned on the website.
Can your diet help quit smoking?
While no conclusive set of medical research or studies have warranted effects of any food in particular on smoking regulation or on nicotine addiction, some of the items commonly associated with aiding the quitting phase are green tea and Indian ginseng. A study published in 2015 by a team of Chinese researchers found green tea compounds to be beneficial in relieving stress and quitting smoking.
"A majority of users smoke as it purportedly gives them some form of relaxation. The oral intake of the amino acid L-Theanine, uniquely found in green tea, is known to have anti-stress effects and acts as a relaxing agent. The study conducted in China shows that green tea may be an alternative to quit this addictive habit," noted the lead author of the study, Dr. Phinse Philip from the Community Oncology Division of the Malabar Cancer Centre.
More than helping in quitting smoking, items like green tea and Ayurvedic herbs like Ashwagandha are known to set right the internal imbalances in the body triggered due to prolonged smoking.
"Consumption of green tea can boost the body's immune system by fighting free radicals and can reduce the risk from damage caused by toxins in cigarette smoke," noted Thomas Varughese, head of surgical oncology and reconstructive surgery at Kochi's Lakeshore Hospital and Research Centre.
Inputs from IANS