Effects of smoking
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Smoking and cancer
Smoking is by far the greatest avoidable risk for developing many types of cancer including throat, mouth, oesophagus, lung, stomach, kidney, bladder and cervical (neck of the womb). It’s also linked to some types of leukaemia (cancer of the white blood cells).
Key facts
- About nine out of ten lung cancers are caused by smoking, either directly or through passive smoking.
- If you smoke, you’re approximately three times more likely to develop bladder cancer than someone who has never smoked.
- Hand-rolled cigarettes have a greater effect than manufactured ones on your risk of developing mouth cancer.
Smoking and your heart and circulation
Smoking damages your blood vessels and increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. It can also affect how well your blood, and therefore oxygen, flows around your body – for example, you may notice you often have cold hands and feet, which is a result of not enough blood getting to them.
Key facts
- If you smoke 2...
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