Answer:
1. Lung damage
Smoking cigarettes affects lung health because a person breathes in not only nicotine but also a variety of additional chemicals.
2. Heart disease
Smoking cigarettes can damage the heart, blood vessels, and blood cells.
The chemicals and tar in cigarettes can increase a person’s risk of atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of plaque in the blood vessels. This buildup limits blood flow and can lead to dangerous blockages.
3. Fertility problems
Smoking cigarettes can damage a female’s reproductive system and make it more difficult to get pregnant. This may be because tobacco and the other chemicals in cigarettes affect hormone levels.
4. Risk of pregnancy complications
According to the CDC, smoking can affect pregnancy and the developing fetus in several ways, including:
increasing the risk of ectopic pregnancy
reducing the baby’s birth weight
increasing the risk of preterm delivery
damaging the fetus’s lungs, brain, and central nervous system
increasing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome
contributing to congenital abnormalities, such as cleft lip or cleft palate
5. Risk of type 2 diabetes
The CDC report that people who smoke regularly have a 30–40 percent higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes than those who do not.
Smoking can also make it more difficult for people with diabetes to manage their condition.
