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The Dangers of Smoking

For many years we have heard about the dangers of smoking. Hopefully, the majority of people that read this have never smoked or, at some point, have stopped. For those of you who continue to smoke or have any family members or friends that do so, a recent article in the medical literature should not be ignored.

In an article recently published in the journal Circulation, researchers conducted a randomized cross-over study documenting the effects of smoking a single cigarette. Twenty smokers participated in this study. Individuals were first given a sham cigarette to smoke and, not unexpectedly, this produced no significant changes in any of the assayed parameters.

When they were then given a single real cigarette to smoke, the concentrations of ascorbic acid and other antioxidants were significantly lowered along with a significant decrease in nitrate and nitrite plasma concentrations. What was not measured was the potential adverse effects of second hand smoke. Many studies in the past have indicated that family members and individuals exposed to second hand smoke have greatly increased risks of cancer and heart disease.

Smoking is known to lead to an increased risk of multiple diseases including chronic lung disease, cancer, cardiovascular disease and others. Cigarette smoke is known to contain very dangerous free radicals including superoxide and other reactive oxygen species. It has been hypothesized that the adverse effects of smoking result from oxidative damage to endothelial cells (the cells lining the inside of blood vessels) resulting in a shortage of nitric oxide (NO). However, prior to this study the notion that a single cigarette could adversely affect antioxidant levels in the blood would have not seemed possible. Unfortunately, this is the sad case.

Take Home The Stop Smoking NOW Message

So what is the take home message?

Cigarette smoking and second hand smoke are extremely dangerous and should be eliminated or extremely curtailed in any way possible. Although it is important to have adequate antioxidants in your bloodstream, for the smoker (or second hand smoker) it takes on even more importance. In fact there are excellent studies using Activin® (a powerful standardized grape seed extract) indicating powerful antioxidant activity of this nutrient in protecting smokers from cell damage. There are several excellent antioxidant products on the market.

Look for natural blends of vitamin E (up to 3X better antioxidant), Ester C (superior absorption and retention when compared to ascorbic acid), Calcium Citrate Malate, CoQ10, mixed natural carotenoids (Betatene), standardized grape seed extract (Activin) and numerous other life saving vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, phytonutrients and herbs.

Something for Smokers to Read Aagain..

The U.S. Surgeon General reported that cigarette smoking is the most significant risk factor for the development of cancer and heart disease. Likewise, cigarette smoking increases your risk of emphysema and chronic lung disease, stroke, osteoarthritis, macular degeneration and other conditions as well. There is new data in recent years to indicate that even second hand smoke can have fatal consequences. In general, the average smoker usually dies about seven or eight years before a non-smoker.

You will find much more on this topic at WorldsLargestNetwork.com