Smoking tobacco
products causes damage to DNA that may last as long as 30 years. While much of the damage from smoking may be
healed within the first five years after stopping smoking, some DNA damage does
not appear to revert to normal. Some
people use e-cigarettes in an attempt to find help to stop smoking. There are also those who believe e-cigarettes
are a healthier alternative to smoking traditional cigarettes. However, vaping, or smoking electronic
cigarettes has a list of negative health effects, trading one serious health
risk for another.
Smoking affects
DNA methylation. Genes are made up of DNA. Changes to DNA called methylation affect how
genes are expressed and may modify the way the genes affect health. This can also affect the way the body
responds to the environment. Smoking can
change DNA and increase risk of disease.
This type of DNA change has been linked to the development of cancers
and the expression of cardiac disease.
DNA methylation is also linked to prenatal cigarette exposure and
development of chronic disease when a child reaches adulthood. Breathing secondhand smoke triggers health
conditions that can be much like actual smoking. It is also believed that nicotine from the
air is absorbed through the skin.
