2023-07-01 16:49:05
Quitting smoking is a difficult but important step towards improving overall health and reducing the risk of serious illness.
If you smoke cigarettes and are thinking of quitting this harmful habit, this decision will be an important measure towards achieving significant positive changes in your body.
When you decide to stop inhaling harmful smoke and stay away from more than 4,800 toxic substances found in cigarettes, amazing and tangible transformations will occur in the body, and you will notice health changes that you have not felt before.
What happens to the body when you quit smoking? After 20 minutes
The “Healthy” website confirms that blood circulation begins to improve in the hands and feet area only 20 minutes following consuming the last cigarette, following it was difficult due to the narrowing of the vessels and arteries due to toxic substances.
According to Lynn Horowitz, a lung specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, smoking directly affects blood circulation throughout the body.
following two hours
Horowitz notes that following just two hours without smoking, the body’s pulse and heart rate improve and blood pressure regulates.
In the case of a pregnant woman, the fetal heartbeat will begin to return to normal.
12 hours later
According to the World Health Organization, the level of carbon monoxide in the blood returns to normal 12 hours following stopping smoking, and the level of oxygen in the blood begins to improve.
As for carbon monoxide, it is a colorless and odorless toxic gas found in high levels in cigarette smoke, which is absorbed by the body to replace oxygen.
24 hours later
Lynn Horowitz says: The risk of a heart attack may begin to decrease following 24 hours, due to the regularity of the pulse, blood pressure, and the percentage of oxygen in the body.
following two days
After 48 hours without smoking, the smoker’s senses of smell and taste begin to improve. The chemicals added to tobacco greatly affect the nerves associated with the senses of smell and taste.
It takes some time for the body to regain full sensitivity to smells and flavours, but the ability to sense them gradually improves following only a couple of days.
following three days
Horowitz explains that the functioning of the lungs begins to improve and the ex-smoker feels that his breathing is better.
At this stage, the tiny hairs on the lungs known as cilia are healing.
Three weeks later
At this point, it is likely that the body has completely eliminated traces of nicotine from the body.
Nicotine is stored in fat cells, so it can take longer to get rid of it depending on factors like weight and years of smoking.
Three months later
Ex-smokers may notice 3 months following they quit smoking that their skin has started to improve, especially in terms of color.
The chemicals in cigarettes change skin color and lead to brown or gray patches, especially in the areas around the lips and fingers.
Smoking also narrows blood vessels and reduces blood flow to the skin. Thus, a decrease in the supply of oxygen and nutrients necessary for the skin can occur.
following a year
According to the World Health Organization, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease is halved following a 12-month cessation of smoking.
“Smoking is the number one cause of heart disease,” says Horowitz, on The Healthy website.
5 years later
After more than 5 years, the risk of stomach, mouth, throat, esophagus, and lung cancer decreases.
In addition, the World Health Organization indicates that the risk of stroke is significantly reduced.
10 years later
The risk of developing lung cancer continues to decrease 10 years following quitting smoking to 50%, as a result of the body repairing lung cells damaged by smoking.
Horowitz explains that the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder and kidney also continues to decrease.
15 years later
The World Health Organization notes that the rate of heart disease in former smokers becomes the same as that of non-smokers, following 15 years.
It is noteworthy that smoking is associated with an increased risk of premature death and a reduced life expectancy, so quitting this habit enhances the chance of living longer and in better health.
Diet helps to quit smoking
On the other hand, quitting smoking requires strong will and serious commitment from the smoker, and there are helping factors, including regular exercise and a healthy diet.
In this regard, nutrition specialist Bashayer Al-Badr talked in a previous interview with “Al-Araby” regarding the importance of following a specific diet when quitting smoking, because nicotine speeds up the metabolism, that is, the conversion of food into energy.
Thus, to avoid weight gain and health consequences following quitting smoking, the ex-smoker must replace the metabolism-accelerating agent with a healthy one.
Al-Badr advised former smokers to divide meals into small and dispersed throughout the day in order to prevent the feeling of hunger, and to focus on consuming fruits and vegetables because of the excellent vitamins and nutrients they contain to raise immunity, with a focus on consuming a good amount of protein that gives a longer feeling of satiety.
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