Cigarettes aren’t good for us. That’s hardly news--we’ve known about the dangers of smoking for decades. But how exactly do cigarettes harm us? Let’s look at what happens as their ingredients make their way through our bodies, and how we benefit physically when we finally give up smoking.
香菸對我們不好。 那不是新聞了。 數十年前我們就已經知道 抽菸的危險性。 但香菸到底如何傷害我們? 咱們來看看,香菸的成份通過 我們的身體時會發生什麼狀況, 以及當我們終於戒菸時 身體能得到什麼好處。
With each inhalation, smoke brings its more than 5,000 chemical substances into contact with the body’s tissues. From the start, tar, a black, resinous material, begins to coat the teeth and gums, damaging tooth enamel, and eventually causing decay. Over time, smoke also damages nerve-endings in the nose, causing loss of smell.
每一次吸入, 煙就會把它本身超過 五千種化學物質帶入體內, 和身體的組織接觸。 從一開始,焦油, 一種黑色樹脂原料, 會開始覆蓋牙齒和牙床, 損害牙齒琺瑯質,最終造成蛀牙。 隨時間過去,煙也會傷害 鼻子中的神經末梢, 造成嗅覺失靈。
Inside the airways and lungs, smoke increases the likelihood of infections, as well as chronic diseases like bronchitis and emphysema. It does this by damaging the cilia, tiny hairlike structures whose job it is to keep the airways clean. It then fills the alveoli, tiny air sacs that enable the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide between the lungs and blood. A toxic gas called carbon monoxide crosses that membrane into the blood, binding to hemoglobin and displacing the oxygen it would usually have transported around the body. That’s one of the reasons smoking can lead to oxygen deprivation and shortness of breath.
在氣道和肺中, 煙會增加感染的可能性, 以及慢性病的可能性, 如支氣管炎和肺氣腫。 原因是因為它會傷害纖毛, 纖毛是像毛一樣的構造, 功能是保持氣道乾淨。 煙接著會充滿肺泡, 肺泡是小小的氣囊, 讓肺部和血液能夠進行 氧氣和二氧化碳的交換, 一氧化碳是一種有毒氣體, 它會穿過那薄膜,進入血液, 和血紅素結合, 取代血紅素原本要在 身體中運輸的氧氣。 這就是抽菸會導致 供氧不足以及呼吸短促 背後的原因之一。
Within about 10 seconds, the bloodstream carries a stimulant called nicotine to the brain, triggering the release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters including endorphins that create the pleasurable sensations which make smoking highly addictive. Nicotine and other chemicals from the cigarette simultaneously cause constriction of blood vessels and damage their delicate endothelial lining, restricting blood flow. These vascular effects lead to thickening of blood vessel walls and enhance blood platelet stickiness, increasing the likelihood that clots will form and trigger heart attacks and strokes.
大約只要十秒, 血液流動就會把一種 叫做尼古丁的興奮劑帶到大腦, 觸發多巴胺及其他神經遞質的釋放, 包括腦內啡, 它能創造出快樂的感覺, 因此抽菸非常容易上癮。 尼古丁和來自香菸的其他化學物質 會同時造成血管緊縮, 並傷害它們精細的內膜面, 因而限制血流。 這些對血管的影響 會導致血管管壁變厚, 增加血小板的黏度, 因此更有可能會有血塊生成, 觸發心臟病或中風。
Many of the chemicals inside cigarettes can trigger dangerous mutations in the body’s DNA that make cancers form. Additionally, ingredients like arsenic and nickel may disrupt the process of DNA repair, thus compromising the body’s ability to fight many cancers. In fact, about one of every three cancer deaths in the United States is caused by smoking.
香菸中有許多化學物質 會觸發人體 DNA 產生危險的病變,形成癌症。 此外,像砷和鎳這些成份 可能會打斷 DNA 修復的過程, 因而危害到身體對抗癌症的能力。 事實上,在美國, 每三件因癌症過世的案例中 就有一件是由抽菸造成的。
And it’s not just lung cancer. Smoking can cause cancer in multiple tissues and organs, as well as damaged eyesight and weakened bones. It makes it harder for women to get pregnant. And in men, it can cause erectile dysfunction.
且不只是肺癌。 抽菸會造成數個組織和器官的癌症, 還會傷害視力, 弱化骨頭。 女性會更難懷孕。 男性則可能會因為抽菸 而引起勃起功能障礙。
But for those who quit smoking, there’s a huge positive upside with almost immediate and long-lasting physical benefits.
但對於戒菸的人來說, 有非常正面的一面, 幾乎可說馬上就能得到 持續很久的身體益處。
Just 20 minutes after a smoker’s final cigarette, their heart rate and blood pressure begin to return to normal. After 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels stabilize, increasing the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity. A day after ceasing, heart attack risk begins to decrease as blood pressure and heart rates normalize. After two days, the nerve endings responsible for smell and taste start to recover.
抽菸者抽完最後一根香菸 之後二十分鐘, 他們的心跳和血壓 就會開始回到正常。 十二小時後,一氧化碳的量 就會穩定下來, 血液運載氧的能力又會增加。 戒菸一天後, 隨著心跳和血壓變正常, 心臟病的風險也會開始下降。 兩天後, 負責嗅覺和味覺的 神經末稍會開始恢復。
Lungs become healthier after about one month, with less coughing and shortness of breath. The delicate hair-like cilia in the airways and lungs start recovering within weeks, and are restored after 9 months, improving resistance to infection.
大約一個月後,肺會變得更健康, 比較少發生咳嗽和呼吸短促。 氣道和肺部的脆弱纖毛 會在數週內開始恢復, 九個月後會復元, 改善對感染的抵抗力。
By the one-year anniversary of quitting, heart disease risk plummets to half as blood vessel function improves. Five years in, the chance of a clot forming dramatically declines, and the risk of stroke continues to reduce. After ten years, the chances of developing fatal lung cancer go down by 50%, probably because the body’s ability to repair DNA is once again restored. Fifteen years in, the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease is essentially the same as that of a non-smoker.
戒菸週年慶的時候, 隨著血管功能改善, 心臟疾病風險只剩一半。 五年時, 形成血塊的機會會明顯下降, 中風的風險持續減少。 十年後,發展致命肺癌的機會 會下降 50%, 可能是因為身體修復 DNA 的能力再次復元了。 十五年後,發展出 冠狀動脈疾病的可能性 基本上會和不抽菸的人一樣。
There’s no point pretending this is all easy to achieve. Quitting can lead to anxiety and depression, resulting from nicotine withdrawal. But fortunately, such effects are usually temporary. And quitting is getting easier, thanks to a growing arsenal of tools. Nicotine replacement therapy through gum, skin patches, lozenges, and sprays may help wean smokers off cigarettes. They work by stimulating nicotine receptors in the brain and thus preventing withdrawal symptoms, without the addition of other harmful chemicals. Counselling and support groups, cognitive behavioral therapy, and moderate intensity exercise also help smokers stay cigarette-free.
沒必要假裝這是很容易達成的。 戒菸會導致焦慮和憂鬱, 造成尼古丁戒斷。 但,幸運的是 這些影響通常是暫時的。 現在也有越來越多工具 讓戒菸變得更容易。 尼古丁取代療法用口香糖、 皮膚貼片、 錠劑,還有噴劑, 都可能協助抽菸者戒菸。 這些工具的作用是刺激 大腦中的尼古丁接收器, 因而避免戒斷症狀發生, 且不需要用到其他有害的化學物質。 諮詢和支持小組、 認知行為療法, 以及適當強度的運動, 也能協助抽菸者不去碰香菸。
That’s good news, since quitting puts you and your body on the path back to health.
那是好消息, 因為戒菸能讓你 和你的身體越來越健康。