subject: Smoking And Your Digestive System [print this page] In the U.SIn the U.S. about 1 in 5 deaths are caused by smoking related illness. As well as life threatening disease, including cancer, heart disease and stroke, smoking can cause harm to the digestive system and lead to chronic disease and digestive problems.
Smoking Effects on Digestive System
Cigarette smoke is harmful to all parts of the digestive system, starting in the mouth, can cause ulcers, gum disease and in the esophagus it can cause heartburn. Ulcers are caused by acidity in the stomach, smoking can also lead to gallstones and liver damage and has been linked to increased risk of Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, inflammatory diseases of the colon. When left untreated, this inflammation of the stomach and bowel can become malignant and is a serious risk to health.
Heart burn - CO in cigarettes causes an acidic environment in the stomach, and also weakens the digestive valves. The esophageal sphincter is a valve which closes after food enters the stomach. Smoking causes this valve to weaken and stomach contents are forced into the esophagus, causing burning, and irritation.
Peptic Ulcer - Increased acidity in the stomach, not only leads to indigestion and gastric upset, prolonged acid can cause ulcers in the stomach lining. Without treatment, stomach ulcers can become serious, can perforate and eventually can lead to cancer.
Liver Disease - Smoking can increase certain enzymes in the liver which can lead to damaging side-effects of some prescription drugs. It can also prevent the liver's ability to clear itself of toxic chemicals that can cause liver damage to cells. The effects of alcoholic liver disease are worsened by cigarette smoke, and Liver cancer is also more prominent in smokers.
Crohn's - Crohn's is a type of inflammatory condition of the colon and digestive tract, which can cause ulcers and pain from the mouth, to the anus. It is a degenerative condition and can cause systemic illness such as anaemia and skin complaints. Often long term sufferers will require surgery to remove sections of their bowel. This and ulcerative colitis another type of inflammatory disease mainly affecting the colon, are 50% more common in smokers.
Gallstones - Gallstones are small hard deposits made up of cholesterol and fatty substances. The can cause extreme pain, and sometimes require emergency surgery if they block the bile duct or gallbladder. They are more common in smokers because tobacco smoke increases cholesterol and fat in the blood stream.
As you can see, the lungs and heart are not the only organs that are effected by smoking. In fact, when you smoke, just about any part of your body can be effected for the worse.
