Osteoporosis and the Impact of Smoking on Bones
Smoking is enjoyable and no non-smoker could ever understand the pleasure that comes from the first cigarette of the day, the cigarette after a meal or the last cigarette at night.
As an ex-smoker I would be lying if I was to say that I don't miss smoking cigarettes every now and again, but am grateful I no longer smoke and at the end of the day understand that the consequences of smoking outweigh the benefits (if there are any benefits) of smoking cigarettes.
Osteoporosis or what is commonly known as brittle bone disease is just one more reason to stop smoking and another disease that can be added to the long list of reasons to stop smoking.
This disease is largely determined by genes and lifestyle and tends to be more predominant in women rather than man due to men developing stronger and more dense bones during adolescence.
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The bones within the body are made up of cells, proteins, and minerals and before the age of 30 the rate of bone formation is greater than the rate of bone resorption (a process in which the bones are broken down and then built back up). This rate of bone resorption is also slowed down by the sex hormone testerone and estrogen.
After the age of 30 the rate of resorption tends to exceed the rate of bone formation and later in life can lead to osteoporosis and the bones becoming thin and weak and the bones of the spin (vertebral) wrist and hip more likely to fracture and research has indicated that the chemicals found in cigarettes can double the risk of suffering from musculor-skeletal disease.
According to Molly T. Vogt (Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pittsburgh, USA) by the age of 80 bone mineral density is 6% to 10% lower in smokers than in non-smokers and one in eight hip fractures in women is the result of smoking.
- Smoking reduces the amount of calcium that is absorbed from food and calcium is a mineral that makes bones rigid
- Studies suggest that smoking enhances the levels of the hormone cortisal and this steroid hormone helps bone formation but in excess leads to bone destruction and decreases the hormone calcitoni which builds bones resulting in inhibition of bone resorption.
- Women who smoke can experience menopause earlier than non-smokers and with the menopause comes a decline in estrogen levels and accelerated bone loss.
On top of an increased risk of bone fractures, smokers also require more recovery time for bone surgeries, fractures and abrasions, have a lower success rate for joint and ligament surgeries and have an increased risk of developing complications after surgery.
Smoking may be enjoyable but smoking will kill you, and until it does, it will destroy your body from the inside out. The best way to reduce the risk of osteoporosis in later life is to quit smoking cigarettes as studies have found that bone mineral density in postmenopausal women does improve after quitting smoking.
Stop taking gambles with your health and use one of the quit smoking methods and products and stop smoking.
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