The Department of Health (DOH) has emphasized the health benefits of quitting tobacco.

These include reduced respiratory symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath; reduced risk of developing lung diseases; reduced risk for infertility in women of childbearing age; and reduced risk of having a low birth weight baby for women who stop smoking during pregnancy.

DOH Central Luzon Center for Health Development Non-communicable Diseases Cluster Senior Health Program Officer Agnes Alipio stated that cigarettes contain over 7,000 chemicals including nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide.

“These substances damage the lungs and heart, causing respiratory and heart diseases. Also, cigarettes contain about 70 known chemicals that can cause cancer… Not just lung cancer, but various parts of the body can develop cancer from smoking,” she warned.

Data from the World Health Organization indicates that tobacco causes the deaths of more than eight million people each year.

Out of these deaths, over seven million are due to direct tobacco consumption while approximately 1.2 million result from non-smokers being exposed to secondhand smoke.

“In the Philippines, tobacco-related diseases kill about 87,600 Filipinos each year. That is equivalent to 10 people dying every hour,” Alipio disclosed. 

Considering this alarming statistic, DOH elaborated on the significant health advantages of tobacco cessation.

After 20 minutes of quitting tobacco, an individual may expect a drop in heart rate and blood pressure. 

The carbon monoxide level in the blood, which is the reason for difficulty breathing, returns to normal within 12 hours of quitting. 

Alipio noted that the circulation improves and lung function increases after two weeks to three months of cessation. 

“Within one to nine months after quitting, coughing and shortness of breath decrease, and cilia—tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs—start to regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean themselves, and reduce the risk of infection,” she underscored.

After one year of cessation, the excess risk of coronary heart disease halves compared to that of a continuing smoker. 

Five years after quitting, the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder is also halved. 

“In addition, the risk of cervical cancer drops to that of a non-smoker, and the risk of stroke can fall to that of a non-smoker within two to five years,” Alipio furthered. 

World No Tobacco Day is observed every May 31 to encourage collective efforts in combating tobacco use and its harmful effects on health and society. (PIA Region 3-Nueva Ecija)