Smoking more dangerous for women

May 18, 2009 by Ada · 1 Comment
Filed under: General Health issues

smoking, pot-menopausal women There may be more evidence to suggest that women are more likely to suffer from the adverse effects of tobacco than men.

A study carried out in Switzerland examined the records of 683 people who were referred to a lung cancer centre from 2000 to 2005. They found that even though the women they examined smoked less cigarettes than the men, they tended to develop lung cancer at an earlier age. This suggests that women are more sensitive to the cancer-causing agents in cigarettes.

It is already quite well established that smoking is bad for your health and plays a part in the development of various cancers including breast cancer and cancer of the cervix. Even though many people see smoking as a male disease, it is becoming a major problem for women as well. Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States- not breast cancer or cervical cancer which you’re more likely to hear about.

The only up side is that the study showed that women were likely to live twice as long as the men after having surgery for some types of lung cancer. That is very little consolation. The best thing to do for yourself is not to start smoking at all. If you do smoke, the sooner you stop, the better. Your chances of developing lung cancer start to drop almost immediately you stop puffing. It’s hard, but in the end it’s worth it.

Tags: cigarettes, lung cancer, smoking, tobacco