Quit Tobacco And Be A Winner

May 31 is celebrated as World No Tobacco Day.

The theme for this year is "Quit Tobacco And Be A Winner "

Let us understand what the disastrous effects of tobacco are and the significance of quitting tobacco. Tobacco is the leading preventable cause of mortality worldwide. 

Statistics:  According to WHO, 

1. Tobacco kills more than 1 million people each year in India,

2. Approximately constitutes 9.5% of all deaths. 

3. The death toll is increasing, as the estimated 1 million tobacco-related deaths in India in 2018 

Patterns of Tobacco Use :

A. Smoked tobacco :

 1. Cigar

 2. Hookah

 3. Beedi 

B. Non-combustible forms of Tobacco 

1. Electronic nicotine delivery devices (ENDS; including e-cigarettes)

2. Heat-not-burn (HNB) tobacco products

3. Chewing tobacco

4. Snuff 

Dangerous Ingredients of Tobacco: There are more than 4000 carcinogenic substances present in tobacco. Important carcinogens are as follows : 

1. Nicotine: Nicotine is the primary driver of smoking behaviour and the major addictive substance and urinary reinforcer of continuous smoking. It is the dangerous ingredient that causes various types of cancers, heart diseases, Damages lung, and impairs circulation to different parts of the body.

2. Hydrogen cyanide.

3. Formaldehyde.

4. Lead.

5. Arsenic.

6. Ammonia.

7.  acrolein, formaldehyde

8. carbon monoxide,

9. hydrogen cyanide,

10. nitrogen oxides,

11. benzene, toluene, phenols etc...

Cancers associated with Tobacco :

1. Lung cancers

2. Head and Neck Cancers

3. Colorectal cancers

4. Bladder cancers

5. Acute myeloid leukaemia 

6. Liver cancers

7. Pancreas cancers 

8. Stomach  cancers 

9.  Kidney cancers

10. Breast cancers 

How does Tobacco causecancers ?

1. Metabolic activation of carcinogenic substances 

2. DNA Adduct formations 

3. DNA repair pathways gets impaired.

4. Imbalance between activation and detoxification of the carcinogenic substances 

Based on the above facts, I  Dr. Preetam Jain, 

Oncologist, Urge the people to quit tobacco and be the winner.  I request all the readers to convey this message to your loved ones.

Dr. Preetam Kumar Jain 

M.D. D.M.
Harvard Certified
European Certified 
Consultant Oncologist 
Mumbai