Contents:
- Medical Video: Smoking Causes Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema
- What is the difference between female smokers and male smokers?
- 1. Reasons for smoking
- 2. Dependency
- Smoking is more dangerous for women, right?
- 1. Risk of a heart attack
- 2. Risk of lung cancer
- 3. DNA damage
Medical Video: Smoking Causes Cancer, Heart Disease, Emphysema
There are 1.5 million women who die from smoking. It is estimated that in 2030, there will be 8 million people who die from smoking and 2.5 million from that number are female smokers. Now there are many cigarette products which state that their products are safer to consume or have lower tobacco levels, and many women are interested in trying cigarette products that are said to be "safer" to consume. But of course the statement is wrong. Cigarettes still have many adverse effects on health, especially for women.
What is the difference between female smokers and male smokers?
Smoking is a special experience for a woman. Some specific differences are found between male and female smokers, namely:
1. Reasons for smoking
Nicotine found in cigarettes seems to have a different effect on men and women. A study found that men who smoke will feel more excited and alert, so they enjoy the positive feelings that arise from smoking. Whereas in women, they assume that cigarettes can cause a sense of relaxation and reduce stress. In addition, many women assume that by smoking, they can control their weight.
2. Dependency
Overall, women may find it far more difficult to get rid of cigarettes than men. Both of these gender groups make health reasons for quitting smoking. According to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,it is known that women are 3 times more likely to fail in their attempts to quit smoking compared to men. This is because women tend to experience emotional changes that are more frequent than men, especially when entering the menstrual period. By smoking, they assume they can control their emotions and avoid depression.
Smoking is more dangerous for women, right?
1. Risk of a heart attack
Women who smoke have a 50% higher risk of having a heart attack compared to men who smoke. This study states that this is related to the interaction between tobacco in cigarettes and the hormone estrogen. The British Medical Journal also states that women who smoke are more dangerous than men who smoke. Research data from the University of Copenhagen involving as many as 25,000 men and women, stated that women had a risk of 2.24 times higher myocardial infarction compared to male smokers.
2. Risk of lung cancer
In addition, the Journal of the American Medical Association in its study stated that smoking is more dangerous for women because it can increase the risk of death from lung cancer. In the study, it was found that the increased risk of death from lung cancer in women who smoke reached up to 600%. Between 1959 and 2010, lung cancer due to smoking increased dramatically. Increased risk of lung cancer in men has doubled, while in women it has increased tenfold. It is known that at present, more women die from lung cancer than breast cancer.
Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection that often occurs in women can also increase the risk of women who smoke from lung cancer higher. But in men there was no association between the HPV virus and the incidence of lung cancer. Other studies also mention that estrogen is said to have an important role in the incidence of lung cancer in women. The study proves that estrogen therapy in women with menopause can increase the risk of lung cancer.
3. DNA damage
Other facts that cause smoking are more dangerous to women, ie DNA in women cannot recover when damaged, unlike men who have the ability to repair damaged DNA better. In fact, one of the effects of smoking is DNA damage that can cause various cancers.
The difference in impact between female and male smokers may be due to the physiological differences of each gender. But this does not reduce the negative value that has been attached to cigarettes. Smoking will still cause various adverse effects on health such as various cancers, heart disease, and even death.
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