Difference between revisions of "Tobacco"

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== Tobacco Products ==
 
== Tobacco Products ==
  
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'''Cigarettes.'''  Cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product.  Approximately one of every five [[American]] adults is a current smoker<ref>Centers for Disease Control (2005).  Cigarette smoking among adults - United States, 2004.  ''Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 54''', 1121-1124</ref>, and about 438,000 Americans die annually due to the effects of smoking; about 38,000 of these deaths are attributed to secondhand smoke<ref>Centers for Disease Control (2005).  Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and productivity losses - United States, 1997-2001.  ''Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 54'', 300-303.</ref>.  While the prevalence of smoking has dropped dramatically in the past 50 years, the rate at which the prevalence is decreasing has slowed substantially<ref>Hughes, J. R., & Brandon, T. H. (2003).  A softer view of hardening.  ''Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 5'', 961-962.</ref>  Additionally, the rate of smoking has been increasing since the mid-1990s<ref>Wechsler, H., Rigotti, N., Gledhill-Hoyt, J., & Lee, H. (1998).  Increased levels of cigarette use among college students: A cause for national concern.  ''Journal of the American Medical Association, 280'', 1673-1678.</ref>.  There are nearly 5,000 different chemicals in cigarette smoke, including over 60 [[carcinogens]]<ref>Hecht, S. (2006).  Cigarette smoking:  Cancer risks, carcinogens, and mechanisms.  ''Archives of Surgery, 391'', 603-613</ref>.   
+
'''Cigarettes.'''  Cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product.  Approximately one of every five [[American]] adults is a current smoker<ref>Centers for Disease Control (2005).  Cigarette smoking among adults - United States, 2004.  ''Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 54''', 1121-1124</ref>, and about 438,000 Americans die annually due to the effects of smoking; about 38,000 of these deaths are attributed to secondhand smoke<ref>Centers for Disease Control (2005).  Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and productivity losses - United States, 1997-2001.  ''Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 54'', 300-303.</ref>.  While the prevalence of smoking has dropped dramatically in the past 50 years, the rate at which the prevalence is decreasing has slowed substantially<ref>Hughes, J. R., & Brandon, T. H. (2003).  A softer view of hardening.  ''Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 5'', 961-962.</ref>  Additionally, the rate of smoking in adolescents and young adults has been increasing since the mid-1990s<ref>Wechsler, H., Rigotti, N., Gledhill-Hoyt, J., & Lee, H. (1998).  Increased levels of cigarette use among college students: A cause for national concern.  ''Journal of the American Medical Association, 280'', 1673-1678.</ref>.  There are nearly 5,000 different chemicals in cigarette smoke, including over 60 [[carcinogens]]<ref>Hecht, S. (2006).  Cigarette smoking:  Cancer risks, carcinogens, and mechanisms.  ''Archives of Surgery, 391'', 603-613</ref>.   
  
 
'''Cigars.'''
 
'''Cigars.'''

Revision as of 18:28, April 26, 2007

Tobacco is a plant used for smoking. Its recreational qualities were discovered by Native Americans and passed on to Europeans after the establishment of Jamestown in 1607.

History

Tobacco was exported by John Rolfe, (husband of Pocahontas). It became known as a cash crop. The negative effects of tobacco such as lung cancer, bronchitis and foul breath are widely accepted today. Tobacco companies have genetically modified tobacco plants and added toxic chemicals to their products to make them more addictive, thus making the modern cigarette much more toxic than the original cultivated plant.

Nicotine

Nicotine is an alkaloid in tobacco that is responsible for the addictive nature of cigarette smoking and other tobacco use. Regular nicotine consumption leads to tolerance[1] (i.e., higher doses are required to achieve the same effect), and withdrawal[2] symptoms (e.g., irritability, restlessness, nicotine cravings) occur when use is discontinued. Intake elicits acute increases in heart rate and blood pressure[3], as well as respiratory rate, but also decreases the volume of blood flow by causing the constriction of blood vessels. Nicotine in cigarette smoke is very easily absorbed through the lungs and buccal tissue in the oral cavity[4], and reaches the brain about seven seconds after it is inhaled in cigarette smoke[5]. After reaching the brain, it stimulates the release of a number of neurotransmitters, including dopamine[6], norepinephrine[7], serotonin[8], and acetylcholine[9]. The increased availability of these chemicals in the brain leads to feelings of pleasure and mild euphoria, as well as increased alertness and concentration. The half-life of nicotine is approximately two hours.

Medications containing nicotine are also used to help smokers who are trying to quit. These are referred to as nicotine replacement therapy (NRT). The idea behind NRT is that it allows smokers to break the behavioral component of their smoking habit (e.g., becoming used to not smoking while driving) while gradually reducing the amount of nicotine in their bloodstream, thus minimizing the effects of physiological nicotine withdrawal. Several different forms of NRT are available, including a transdermal patch, chewing gum, and nasal spray. Nicotine has also been found to be a useful treatment for certain physical conditions, though the mechanisms are not well understood. For example, smoking reduces the risk of Kaposi's sarcoma, as well as breast cancer among women at high risk for it due to the presence of the BRCA gene. Nicotine also appears to have therapeutic benefit for individuals with ulcerative colitis, one form of epilepsy, and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's Dementia.

Tobacco Products

Cigarettes. Cigarettes are the most commonly used tobacco product. Approximately one of every five American adults is a current smoker[10], and about 438,000 Americans die annually due to the effects of smoking; about 38,000 of these deaths are attributed to secondhand smoke[11]. While the prevalence of smoking has dropped dramatically in the past 50 years, the rate at which the prevalence is decreasing has slowed substantially[12] Additionally, the rate of smoking in adolescents and young adults has been increasing since the mid-1990s[13]. There are nearly 5,000 different chemicals in cigarette smoke, including over 60 carcinogens[14].

Cigars.


Smokeless tobacco.

Health Effects

Smoking has a significant negative health impact, and causes many dangerous and fatal conditions, including cancers, heart disease, and respiratory disease.

It has been estimated that cigarette smoking is responsible for 28% of all deaths in developed countries in the 35-69 age group, as well as 35% of all cancer deaths and 28% of all deaths due to vascular diseases[15]. Smoking increases the risk of oral, pharyngeal, esophageal, laryngeal, lung, uterine, cervical, urinary, and kidney cancers[16].

Coronary heart disease is one of the biggest causes of death in the United States, and is 2-4 more likely in smokers than nonsmokers. Smokers are also 10 times more likely to develop peripheral vascular disease, which is a narrowing of the arteries. Additionally, smokers are twice as vulnerable to a stroke compared with nonsmokers[17]. Smoking also negatively impacts the respiratory system. Approximately 90% of all deaths from chronic lung diseases are the result of smoking[18].

Secondhand Smoke

References

  1. ↑ Porchet, H. C., Benowitz, N. L., & Sheiner, L. B. (1988). Pharmacodynamic model of tolerance: Application to nicotine. Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, 244, 231-236
  2. ↑ Hughes, J.R., Higgins, S.T., & Bickel, W.K. (1994). Nicotine withdrawal versus other drug withdrawal syndromes: Similarities and dissimilarities. Addiction, 89, 1461-1470
  3. ↑ Benowitz, N.L., Jacob, P., Jones, R.T., & Rosenberg, J. (1982). Interindividual variability in the metabolism and cardiovascular effects of nicotine in man. Journal of Pharmacology & Experimental Therapeutics, 221, 368-372.
  4. ↑ Miller, M.S., & Cocores, J.A. (1993). Nicotine dependence: Diagnosis, chemistry and pharmacologic treatments. Pediatrics in Review, 14, 275-279.
  5. ↑ Benowitz, N.L. (1991). Pharmacodynamics of nicotine: Implications for rational treatment of nicotine addiction. British Journal of Addiction, 86, 495-499.
  6. ↑ Stolerman, I.P., & Shoaib, M. (1991). The neurobiology of tobacco addiction. Trends in Pharmacological Science, 12, 467-473.
  7. ↑ Summers, K.L., & Giacobini, E. (1995). Effects of local and repeated systemic administration of (-)nicotine on extracellular levels of acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin in rat cortex. Neurochemical Research, 20, 753-759.
  8. ↑ Ribeiro, E.B., Bettiker, R.L., Bogdanov, M., & Wurtman, R.J. (1993). Effects of systemic nicotine on serotonin release in rat brain. Brain Research, 621, 311-318.
  9. ↑ Summers & Giacobini, 1995.
  10. ↑ Centers for Disease Control (2005). Cigarette smoking among adults - United States, 2004. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 54', 1121-1124
  11. ↑ Centers for Disease Control (2005). Annual smoking-attributable mortality, years of potential life lost, and productivity losses - United States, 1997-2001. Morbidity & Mortality Weekly Report, 54, 300-303.
  12. ↑ Hughes, J. R., & Brandon, T. H. (2003). A softer view of hardening. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 5, 961-962.
  13. ↑ Wechsler, H., Rigotti, N., Gledhill-Hoyt, J., & Lee, H. (1998). Increased levels of cigarette use among college students: A cause for national concern. Journal of the American Medical Association, 280, 1673-1678.
  14. ↑ Hecht, S. (2006). Cigarette smoking: Cancer risks, carcinogens, and mechanisms. Archives of Surgery, 391, 603-613
  15. ↑ Hecht, 2006.
  16. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/health_effects/cancer.htm
  17. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/health_effects/heart.htm
  18. ↑ http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/health_effects/respiratory.htm
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