Click to play videoNew Delhi: Light smokers, take note: smoking less than five cigarettes a day does not reduce chances of developing cancer and other diseases.
A study by Tobacco Control in Norway found that heart disease deaths were nearly three times more common among light smokers than among non-smokers.
Women who are light smokers are five times more at risk of getting lung cancer than non-smokers. Men who are light smokers are nearly three times more at risk of dying of lung cancer than non-smokers, says the study.
“Tobacco contains almost 2,000 chemicals, so risk of diseases does not decrease because of the quantity of these chemicals. These chemicals are carcinogenic, and it's a myth to believe that reducing the number of cigarettes reduces the risk of disease," says oncologist Dr Loraine Kalra.
Smoking even one or two cigarettes a day can cause cancer of the lung, throat, bladder, cervix and larynx
Smoking light or mild cigarettes, too, are not safe. The Norwegian report says that those who smoke less actually tend to inhale more since they want to make the most of the few cigarettes they smoke in a day.
And while cutting down is definitely a good way to start taking care of your health it should not stop there.
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| Tobacco use is the world's leading cause of preventable death, accounting for 10 percent of adult fatalities, according to WHO. |
| It is responsible for 5.4 million deaths each year, a figure that is expected to rise to 8.3 million by 2030, the agency says. |
| If you smoke for a lifetime, there is a 50% chance that your eventual death will be smoking-related. |
| The WHO wants all countries to ban smoking at indoor workplaces and in public buildings.. |
| At least 200,000 workers die each year because of exposure to smoke at their offices and factories, according to International Labour Organisation. |
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