The Incredible Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Cigarettes can be traced back to the 16th century in Seville, Spain but it wasn't until the late 19th century that the modern cigarette that we're more familiar with today was invented. While it might seem incredulous now, at one point, people thought cigarettes were healthy and doctors even prescribed them for ailments. It wasn't until 1964 that the U.S. Surgeon General confirmed that smoking was bad and responsible for causing lung cancer. Today, smoking is the leading cause of preventable death in the U.S. which is why there are many incredible benefits of quitting smoking.

No organ is spared from the toxins in cigarettes. Not all are equally affected, but the toxins are rapidly distributed throughout the body and reach all tissues, even thirdhand smoke can damage your lungs.To identify the incredible benefits of quitting smoking, 24/7 Tempo reviewed several studies on the effects of smoking and also consulted Dr. Adam Goldstein, who researches health policy and disparities in tobacco use and cessation.

"What makes cigarettes so addictive is the nicotine in the tobacco," said Goldstein, director of Tobacco Intervention Programs at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine."Nicotine is the hardest addiction to quit." It enters the nervous system within seconds, attaching itself to receptors in the brain that release dopamine, which is commonly known as "the feel-good hormone," Goldstein explained. And when you try to quit, "You don't even have to see someone else smoke, just thinking about it causes withdrawal symptoms."

Some effects are more immediate than others. Elevated heart rate and blood pressure decrease within an hour after one's last cigarette, Goldstein said. The risk of a heart attack lowers within a few months, but it takes a few years for it to be the same as for a person who has never smoked, he noted.

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas in cigarette smoke and it is also found in car exhausts. It enters the bloodstream at the lungs and combines with a protein called hemoglobin in the red blood cells.

Usually, hemoglobin combines with oxygen and is transported around the body but carbon monoxide gets in the way of this process.Within eight hours of quitting smoking, oxygen can be carried to your tissues and organs normally once more.

The lower oxygen levels in your blood as a result of smoking may have led to nerve damage. These impaired nerve endings start to grow again. And your taste buds are no longer numb, Goldstein noted.

"Pulmonary function improves within a week and it rapidly gets better," Goldstein said. In a recent study, quitters showed a significant nasal clearance improvement just one month after the last cigarette. Smoking cessation improves respiratory symptoms, increases lung capacity, and prevents the fast decline in lung function seen in all smokers.

However, the lungs of a former smoker are never going to be the same as those of a person who has never smoked, Goldstein noted. What dramatically improves is the outcome of the treatment for lung cancer, he noted.

"Drugs interact with the smoke, which makes them less effective," Goldstein said. "A person who quits smoking has a much better chance of a successful chemo and surgery, and is less likely to develop a second cancer," he added.

The risk of blood clots and heart attack goes down within about three months, Goldstein said. "The stress on blood vessels takes longer to be removed." The blood is less sticky and also thinner, improving circulation to all parts of the body significantly. Veins and arteries are not constricted anymore. It takes about 10 years for blood vessels to completely regain their flexibility, research shows.

Smoking impairs your body's ability to exercise. Smokers get short of breath but within two weeks of stopping, , you will notice that you can carry out aerobic activities much easier. Research has shown that non-smokers do not get cramping pain so early in their legs when walking compared to smokers.

Cigarette smoke reduces a hormone needed by the eyes to see well at night so you will notice that your vision improves in low level light. Also, the risk of getting cataracts decreases.

There is evidence that ex-smokers have higher HDL ("good" cholesterol) concentrations than current smokers. The positive change happens in less than three weeks, with no clear pattern of change after that.

There are tiny hair-like projections lining the airway passages in the lungs called cilia. They support the mucus that traps tiny particles and stops them from entering the lungs where they can cause damage. Smoking damages cilia and reduces lung protection and healthy mucus production. After about nine months of stopping smoking, the cilia start to grow again. You will not feel so short of breath and will smoke less.

White blood cells (WBCs) are tiny cells in our bloodstream that fight pathogens and inflammation. Smokers have higher levels of WBCs because their bodies and constantly fighting the inflammation caused by the toxins in cigarette smoke. When you stop smoking, levels of WBCs will typically reduce within six months and your immune system will not have to work so hard.

The nicotine in cigarette smoke causes insulin resistance. Research suggests that people who quit smoking are at increased risk of type 2 diabetes in the first two years after quitting. This can partly be explained by the fact that they put on weight. However, after 12 years the risk has reduced to be the same as someone who has never smoked.

Nicotine activates white blood cells called neutrophils — the kind that protect against infections — and they release molecules that lead to increased inflammation. Research has found that inflammation has a dose-dependent to both smoking and smoking cessation, meaning the more you smoke the higher the inflammatory markers and vice versa.

The brain develops more nicotine receptors to receive the large doses of nicotine it gets from smoking. This larger receptor pool, without the nicotine flow, is the reason why people have cravings and other discomforts during withdrawal.

Acetylcholine receptors, which are found on the surface of muscle cells, are nicotine-binding and take between six and 12 weeks to normalize. As the number of acetylcholine receptors decreases, the cravings the body experiences during withdrawal taper down.

Tobacco smoke has been found to lower the body's temperature due to a decrease in peripheral blood flow, but within 20 minutes of your last cigarette, your hands and feet return to a normal temperature.

A study of about 12,000 people found that those who smoked 20 or more cigarettes a day had the lowest vitamin C dietary intake compared with respondents who never smoked. The risk of severe vitamin C deficiency is increased in smokers but improves soon after quitting.