Consider yourself a ‘social’ or ‘occasional’ smoker? Do you only ‘smoke at parties’ and don’t consider yourself as a ‘real smoker’.
It’s estimated that 2 per cent of Britain’s adult population fall into this category and it’s thought they smoke on average less than one cigarette a day.
Common sense says the risks of smoking this amount are smaller than those faced by daily smokers — but they are not as low as you might think.
For some health conditions, such as cancer, the risk largely corresponds to how much you smoke. But for other problems, including heart attack and stroke, even one cigarette can make a big difference.
It’s estimated that 2 per cent of Britain’s adult population consider themselves ‘occasional smokers’, and it’s thought they smoke on average less than one cigarette a day
Last month a study of more than 65,000 people found those who puffed on 20 cigarettes a day had a high risk of developing a common and deadly type of stroke caused by a brain bleed.
But so, too, did those who smoked between one and ten.
The results, published in the journal Stroke found that these lower-level smokers had around a three-times greater risk than people who didn’t smoke at all.
Women had a higher risk than men — the researchers suggested smoking even one cigarette a day regularly reduces oestrogen levels, which disrupts collagen (a protein that helps maintain the structure of blood vessels and skin) making the blood vessels weaker, and increasing inflammation in vessel walls.
-
Pregnant women who take paracetamol are ‘more likely to have…
Online porn is making young men impotent: Soaring numbers…
Why you SHOULD stand up on the subway: Briefly standing ‘is…
Ground-breaking new nasal spray could be used to treat…
‘This is a very large study, so we can be confident in the results, says Dr Martin James, a consultant stroke physician at Royal Devon Exeter Hospital.
Problems can arise when people don’t understand the risks that even occasional cigarettes can pose to their health.
A 2014 survey showed that of Britain’s 1.1 million ‘part-time’ smokers, only one in four was concerned about harm. They consistently described their habit as ‘social’ despite the fact that some smoked up to 37 a week.
One cigarette cuts your life by 11 minutes, according to a study published in the BMJ in 2000. Lifelong smokers — such as those who smoke 20 a day or more — lose at least ten years of their life.
One cigarette cuts your life by 11 minutes, according to a study published in the BMJ in 2000. Lifelong smokers lose at least ten years of their life
However light smokers who light fewer than five cigarettes a day, lose four to six years, says doctor Lion Shahab, a senior lecturer in health psychology at University College London.
And evidence suggests casual smokers are anything but. A 2014 study by University College London researchers found that around 80 per cent of occasional smokers weren’t able to quit.
The difference is that rather than people needing a constant ‘fag fix’, occasional smokers’ brains have developed an association between the situation they smoke in and the need to smoke — creating an impulsive craving for nicotine when they are there — an ‘occasional addiction’.
Whether you smoke one cigarette a week, one a day or 20 a day, a smoker is a smoker, and ‘regardless of the number, they are an addict to some degree and this has implications for their health,’ says Melody Holt, of the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation.
Robert West, a professor of health psychology at University College London says the term ‘social smoking’ is a misnomer. ‘Whether you smoke socially or not is not the issue, it’s the toxic chemicals you are inhaling.’
Robert West, a professor of health psychology at University College London says that whether you smoke socially or not is not the issue, it’s the toxic chemicals you are inhaling
Nicotine poses few health risks but it’s the chemical that causes addiction, while the other 600-odd ingredients in a cigarette that are what can be harmful.
‘Many occasional and social smokers puff an awful lot and in some cases more than daily smokers,’ says Professor West.
‘Averaging five cigarettes a day — over a week or in one go has the same effect on health, it comes down to the amount of toxins your body is exposed to.’
Labels such as ‘social smoker’ change how people perceive the risks of their habit, says Dr James. He sees many patients who say they are not smokers but ‘may have a few on a weekend’.
‘But even occasional cigarettes put health at risk — the only safe level of smoking is nothing at all.’
As with regular smoking, one of the major risks of intermittent smoking is heart disease
As with regular smoking, one of the major risks of intermittent smoking is heart disease. One study found smoking even one to four cigarettes a day can triple the risk of dying from heart disease.
This is because smoking increases the furring up of arteries, raising the risk of a heart attack due to clots and reduced blood flow. Here, being a social smoker is particularly dangerous — going from no cigarettes to one cigarette is the most critical and riskiest, says Professor West.
This is because when inhaling the cigarette the body produce cells called macrophages to clear gunk from lungs. But breaking down this gunk also releases a protein known as prothrombin, which immediately makes blood stickier and more likely to clot.
Any smoking can also affect men and women’s fertility, says Dr Shahab. A study this year found smoking just one cigarette may promote an inflammation in men that can lead to damage of DNA in their sperm and lowers chances of fertilising an egg successfully.
Light smoking can also raise the risk of ectopic pregnancies (where the embryo implants outside the womb), says Dr Shahab.
A 2010 Edinburgh University study showed inhaling any amount of a chemical in cigarette smoke triggers a reaction that increases levels of a protein in the Fallopian tubes that raises the risk of the egg implanting elsewhere.
For cancer risks, the effect of smoking is cumulative. How many cigarettes you smoke on average and the period of time you smoke for affects the chance.
Even light smokers’ risk of lung cancer is five times higher than for nonsmokers.
Part of the problem is the way light smokers actually smoke.
Someone may say they are nondaily, occasional smokers, but research looking at these people’s nicotine intake suggests that it is not that different from daily smokers, says Professor West. This suggests there is a difference in the smoking technique.
Someone may say they are nondaily, occasional smokers, but research looking at these people’s nicotine intake suggests that it is not that different from daily smokers
Light smokers are thought to be burning their cigarettes right down to the end and tend to inhale each puff as hard as they can, more so than regular smokers.
‘Light smokers tend to take in more nicotine from each cigarette than heavy smokers,’ says Professor West.
‘They drag more deeply on their cigarettes and often hold the smoke down for longer.’
The theory is that above a certain concentration in the brain, nicotine starts to cause a reaction so that people start to feel sick and edgy.
Those lighting up regularly would be familiar with this reaction so learn to not inhale the entire cigarette.
Light smokers are thought to be burning their cigarettes right down to the end and tend to inhale each puff as hard as they can, more so than regular smokers
‘But light smokers can afford to take in more from each cigarette because they smoke fewer and so the nicotine levels in their blood will stay within acceptable limits,’ says Professor West.
‘The average cigarette could provide as much as 6mg of nicotine though most smokers only take in about 1mg.
There is some good news from last month’s study on stroke risk though: the conventional thinking is that it takes months or years for the body to ‘heal’ damage caused by smoking cigarettes.
The Finnish researchers, however, found people who quit smoking lowered the risk of brain haemorrhage after just six months of quitting.
This is an important message for those trying to quit, says Dr James. Many who try to quit and fail believe that the damage is already done.
Clearly, this thinking is changing and it is never too late.’