cigarettesYet even more unsettling news about smoking...New research suggests that women may be more susceptible than men to the lung-damaging effects of smoking.

In other words, carcinogens and other noxious substances in cigarette smoke might be more dangerous for women (than men).

Yikes! So what's the evidence?

  • In one study, experts found that women tended to be younger when they received a lung cancer diagnosis, even though they smoked less than the men who developed lung cancer.
  • In another study—this one focused on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is a disease linked to smoking—women with COPD were younger when they got the diagnosis and had smoked less than the men with the respiratory ailment.
  • In a third, the number of women dying from COPD surpassed the number of men.

So what does this mean for us?

If you do smoke, you are, no doubt, aware of 1) your risk for lung cancer, and 2) the fact that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women in the United States. This article probably isn't going to change your mind.

If you don't smoke, however, information about women being more vulnerable to the harmful effects of smoking is important in terms of protecting yourself against second-hand smoke, as well as being vocal about pressuring lawmakers to ban smoking in restaurants and other public places.

Are you a smoker? Do you try take any precautions to avoid second-hand smoke?

 

Related Posts:

Third-Hand Smoke and Your Baby

Is it Safe: Secondhand Smoke

Smoking When Pregnant