Cigars and Your Health:

The Truth About Cigar Smoking

It is not news anymore to say that smoking is one of the leading causes of lung cancer. Practically every research and medical literature that has something to do with tobacco smoking touches on the topic of its health effects, particularly on increased risks of cancer and other diseases.

In fact, in the February 1998 issue of the National Cancer Institute’s health report, entitled Monograph: Cigars, Health Effects and Trends, cigar smoking is attributed as one of the primary causes of oral, esophageal, laryngeal and lung cancers.

The 232-page long report is essentially a compilation of research on the health effects of cigars and is meant to warn cigar smokers of the dangers of smoking and inhaling tobacco. But while the report is based on research, many of the conclusions made on account of said research are largely unsubstantiated by the same.

As a matter of fact, any debate on controversial statements concerning the health risks of cigar smoking is rarely presented, while the report focuses on selective research that support their viewpoints.

In sum, the report concludes in the following manner, as quoted:

“We believe an accurate statement is that the risks of tobacco smoke exposure are similar for all sources of tobacco smoke, and the magnitude of the risks experienced by cigar smokers is proportionate to the nature and intensity of their exposure.”

What are the Risks?

It is a widely accepted fact that there are health risks associated with tobacco use. According to one report, there are approximately 430,000 deaths related to the use of tobacco products. And in the state of California alone, one-third of 300 youths who smoke will die from a smoking-related illness.

But whether or not these deaths supposedly caused by tobacco use are significantly higher in comparison to deaths due to other causes remains to be seen. A close look at various research studies on the matter reveals that these are mere conclusions based on inference and not necessarily based on direct facts.

There is no doubt that there are adverse effects to your health if you regularly use tobacco products. For instance, smoking cigarettes is known to produce, or at the very least worsen, the following diseases:

·        Asthma

·        Chronic bronchitis

·        Dysplasia

·        Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia

·        Emphysema

·        Hayfever

·        Heart Disease

·        Histoplasmosis

·        Lung Cancer

·        Pneumonia

·        Influenza

·        Pulmonary Diseases

·        Respiratory Distress Syndrome

·        Sarcoidosis

·        Sudden Death Syndrome

·        Tuberculosis

Chewing tobacco is no safe alternative either. Whether you smoke or chew tobacco, it may still cause cancer. The only difference is that if you chew tobacco, you may not get lung cancer but you may still develop cancer of the mouth, cheek and gums.

Apparently, cancer develops where the tobacco product stays the longest time. In the case of chewing tobacco, they stay longest in your mouth so that is where cancer develops. Not only that but chewing tobacco may also cause tooth decay and stained teeth.

Cigars and Your Health: The Facts

We all know that tobacco smoking can cause cancer. But what is it in tobacco that makes it so dangerous? What substance can you find in tobacco that is so poisonous to the body it makes previously healthy cells cancerous?

The substance is nicotine, an odorless, colorless gas produced when tobacco leaves are burned. Nicotine is a stimulant that is known to improve alertness, memory and mood. However, like all stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine also has the tendency to form a strong physical and psychological chemical dependence, leading to addiction.

But besides nicotine there are also several other toxic substances contained in a single stick of cigarette. Toxic agents, such as carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and carcinogenic hydrocarbons, are just as harmful as nicotine. But like nicotine, they would have to be inhaled or chewed in order to pose the greatest risk of developing cancer.

That said, there is one fact that many people overlook: It is that majority of cigar smokers do not inhale the smoke from a cigar. Neither do they chew. This is not the proper way of smoking a cigar.

When you smoke a cigar, you suck it and exhale, but you never inhale the way you do with a cigarette or chew the way you do with chewing tobacco.

For this reason, the health risk associated with inhaling tobacco smoke does not usually apply with cigar smokers, at least not with those who know how to properly smoke a cigar.

Another fact is that cigar smokers rarely smoke more than one cigar per day. Even “habitual” cigar smokers – i.e. those who smoke a cigar or two in a day – do not smoke on a daily basis.

Cigar smoking is a fashion and a luxury. It is rarely a habit. Those who do engage in it as a habit would be at risk from the various diseases brought on by tobacco smoke. However, for those who only smoke a cigar on occasion, they are generally free from the more serious health risks associated with smoking.

According to the report by the National Cancer Institute, the “all causes of death” ratio of cigar smokers is 1.02% death risk, which is only 0.02% higher compared to the death risk of non-smokers. This is not a significant difference, at least not enough to warrant the ominous conclusion that cigar smoking kills.

Furthermore, the National Cancer Institute reports that smoking one to two cigars a day leads to a lower overall risk of developing lung cancer compared to the general population of non-smokers.

Since an overwhelming majority of cigar smokers hardly ever smoke more than one cigar per day, it would appear that cigar smokers may even be safe from developing lung cancer as a consequence of tobacco smoke.

What are the Benefits?

Much word is abound on the health risks of tobacco. And perhaps due to the sheer number of people who are against smoking and the minute number of cigar advocates in comparison, it is often overlooked that there might be beneficial effects associated with smoking a cigar or two.

Don’t get us wrong. We are not recommending that you consume tobacco products for its health benefits and consider it as just another form of health supplement. No, whatever health benefit you garner from cigar smoking is only a side effect, and neither should it be treated as anything more.

Suffice to say that it is not all danger that is posed by smoking your favorite stogie. You might benefit from it and though few, there are scientific studies and literature that would point to such matter.

Much of the benefits of tobacco can be attributed surprisingly enough to the effects of nicotine. Despite its nasty reputation as a poisonous gas, nicotine has been shown to have some positive health effects, especially on the nervous system.

The most notable positive health effect of nicotine is on patients with Alzheimer’s Disease. Some studies have found that non-smokers have a higher chance of developing Alzheimer’s Disease than the general population. If interpreted, the results of these studies tend to suggest that smoking may offer some protection against this degenerative disease.

There is, however, little in the way of concrete evidence to prove this inference. Little research has been done in the area and much of the results on record are mixed.

Other positive effects of smoking are as follows:

• A protective effect against Parkinson’s Disease

• A protective effect against ulcerative colitis

• Decreased rates of endometriosis in infertile women

• Reduced incidence of fibroids

• Reduced incidence of hypertension during pregnancy

It should be emphasized that these health risks only apply if you are a regular user of tobacco products. The level of risk is directly proportional to the level of tobacco exposure a person has.

Therefore, if you only smoke a cigar once or twice without turning it into a habit, there is no reason to believe that cigar smoking is more dangerous than say, drinking untreated water from a private well.

Yet, those who are against smoking would have you believe that cigar smoking is highly dangerous. They further support their sentiment by stating that the health benefits of occasionally smoking cigars are not known.

However, just because there is no concrete scientific proof of the health benefits of an occasional smoke or two is no warranty that there are really no health benefits to occasional cigar smoking. It only means that no person has yet to make an effort in conducting a proper scientific study specifically to prove such health benefit.

Therefore, until such a study is made, conclusions on the matter are mere speculations. There is about as much likelihood that cigar smoking on occasion can be healthy as alcohol consumption from drinking wine can be beneficial.