Smoking and your health

Smoking causes many health problems, some of them life-threatening. According to Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), smoking kills 114,000 people in the UK every year.

This article explains how smoking puts your health, and life, at risk.

Smoking and cancer

Smoking causes cancers of the throat, mouth, oesophagus, lung, stomach, kidney, bladder and cervix, and is linked to some types of leukaemia (cancer of the bone marrow).

Key facts

If you smoke one to 14 cigarettes per day, you are eight times more likely to have lung cancer than a non-smoker.

Women who have been smoking for over 40 years are six times more likely to have breast cancer than a non-smoker.

Nine out of 10 people with throat and mouth cancers are smokers.

Smoking, the heart and circulation

Smoking damages your blood vessels and increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Key facts

If you smoke 20 or more cigarettes per day, you are three times more likely to have a stroke than a non-smoker.

As a smoker, you are twice as likely to have a heart attack than a non-smoker and 16 times more likely to get blocked blood vessels in the legs or feet, leading to gangrene and amputation.

Smoking and breathing problems

Smoking damages your airways making it harder for you to get air in and out of your lungs, and causes chronic obstructive lung disease including bronchitis and emphysema.

Key facts

Eight out of 10 people dying from chronic obstructive lung disease are smokers.

As a smoker, you are more likely to get pneumonia and die from the disease than a non-smoker.

Children of smoking parents are more likely to have asthma and other breathing problems.

Smoking, sex and reproduction

Smoking can damage your sex life and fertility, and harm your unborn child.

Key facts

Smoking increases the risk of impotence by 50 percent for men in their 30s and 40s.

Men who smoke have a lower sperm count and more damaged sperm.

Women who smoke take longer to get pregnant and go through the menopause up to two years earlier.

Women who smoke and take the combined oral contraceptive are 20 times more likely to have a heart attack.

Women who smoke are more likely to have complications during pregnancy.

Babies born to women who smoke are on average 200 grams lighter.

The risk of cot death is three times higher in babies born to women who smoke.

Smoking and your appearance

Smoking will affect your looks and your sense of taste and smell. Cigarette smoke will damage your skin, and stain your fingertips and teeth. The smell of cigarettes will also cling to your hair and clothing.

Key facts

Smokers are more likely to have facial wrinkles at a younger age.

Smokers are more likely to have gum disease and bad breath.

Smokers are two times more likely to get psoriasis than non-smokers.

What if I quit?

The good news is that the health risks drop dramatically if you give up smoking. Within a month of quitting, your appearance will improve. A year after quitting, your risk of heart attack is cut by half compared to a smoker. After 10 years of quitting, your risk of lung cancer is cut by half compared to a smoker.