Pet Scans Show Cigarette Smoke Affects Peripheral Organs

For this reason, a good tip on how to stop smoking is to use the products in conjunction with a support system.

Even with all of the tools to quit present, the person must be convicted to remember why they are quitting and to be strong with the desire.

PET Scans Show Cigarette Smoke Affects Peripheral Organs


It is well known that smoking cigarettes can directly and often fatally damage the lungs. But new research, with support from the National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, shows that cigarette smoke also decreases levels of a critical enzyme called monoamine oxidase B (MAO B) in the kidneys, heart, lungs, and spleen. Too much or too little of this crucial enzyme can have an effect on a person's mental or physical health.

MAO B is important because it breaks down the chemicals that allow nerve cells to communicate and regulate blood pressure.

PET, or positron emission tomography, employs computer technology and radioactive compounds to produce images of biochemical processes within living systems.

"Smoking is a major public health problem that results in approximately 440,000 deaths per year in the United States alone," says NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni. "This new finding highlights the fact that the act of smoking cigarettes can affect biochemical systems within multiple organs other than the lungs and upper airways."

"When we think about smoking and the harmful effects of smoke, we usually think of the lungs and of nicotine," says NIDA Director Dr. Nora D. Volkow, one of the authors of the study. "But here we see a marked effect on a major body enzyme in sites far removed from the lungs that we know is due to a substance other than nicotine. This alerts us to the fact that smoking, which is highly addictive, exposes the whole body to the thousands of compounds in tobacco smoke."

Dr. Joanna Fowler, together with Dr. Volkow and others at Brookhaven National Laboratory and the State University of New York at Stony Brook, conducted the study, which will be published online during the week of September 8 on the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Web site.

Dr. Fowler and the research team compared PET scans showing MAO B activity in 12 smokers with scans from 8 nonsmokers. The researchers observed that MAO B activity in the peripheral organs was reduced by one-third to almost one-half in smokers compared with nonsmokers.

The scientists caution that the effects of this finding remain unknown at present. "The consequences of reduced levels of this important enzyme need to be examined in greater detail," explains Dr. Fowler. "Though we do not know the physiological effects of such a reduction in MAO B in peripheral organs, we do know we need the enzyme to break down blood pressure-elevating chemical compounds in certain foods, as well as those that are released by nicotine. Thus, it is possible that lower levels of this enzyme in peripheral organs could have medical consequences."

Previous research by these scientists has shown that the level of MAO B is lower in the brains of smokers.

The study also was funded by the Office of National Drug Control Policy.


More Quit Smoking Information

Make changes depending on smoking patterns and routine, clean your room or apartment of any tobacco products, plan regular exercises and treat yourself with the money you save.

Early signs you should stop smoking are sometimes subtle, but if you look for them, you'll know when your smoking habit is becoming a true problem.

25,000 try to quit smoking (NewsWales)
2007 has seen a twenty per cent increase in people wishing to quit smoking in Wales in the run up to the introduction of the smoking ban.
Quit Rates Double With Counseling And Free Nicotine Patches (Medical News Today)
Increasing the level of Quitline smoking cessation services and offering free nicotine patches are a successful and cost-effective way to reduce smoking rates, according to two new studies in the December issue of Tobacco Control, a peer-reviewed publication of the British Medical Journal. click link for full article

The important thing to remember is that one can stop smoking.

Other Quit Smoking Article Snippets

Be very carefully before taking and using such product and make sure it is genuine.

Why You Should Go To A Stop Smoking Hypnotist
Talk to your doctor about which methods will be most effective in helping you to achieve success with this most important endeavor.

Schizophrenics Take In More Nicotine Per Cigarette
One of the best things about this option is the fact that this kind of therapy is a medical therapy and that it takes place in a clinic under the supervision of experienced and knowledgeable doctors.

Making Smart Decisions Can Help Quit Smoking
It is crucial with your quit smoking support that you do not encourage the smoker to take a cigarette rather than act like that (this is the worst thing you can do, because they'll do just that).


This is a very efficient method that uses natural herbs which will help you quit this vice.

If youve tried everything on the market to quit smoking, and nothing seems to work, you may need to consult your doctor.

  • Research has shown that nicotine, like cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, increases the level of the neurotransmitter dopamine, which affects the brain pathways that control reward and pleasure.
  • 10 years after quitting smoking your lung cancer death rate is about half that of a smokers and your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases.
  • An estimated 14.6 million (40.5 percent) adult everyday smokers in 2004 had stopped smoking for at least 1 day during the preceding 12 months because they were trying to quit.
  • Because sidestream smoke is generated at lower temperatures and under different conditions than mainstream smoke, it contains higher concentrations of many of the toxins found in cigarette smoke.

 

 

Quit Smoking Article Snippets

"Knowing how to stop smoking is only part of the process involved with quitting."

 

Why You Should Go To A Stop Smoking Hypnotist

"Possibly the most common and talked-about stop smoking side effects is irritability and aggression, which is the result of nicotine withdrawal."

Making Smart Decisions Can Help Quit Smoking

"There are patches, gum, shots, pills and other methods on the market as well as hypnotism and laser therapy that all claim to be the easy way to stop smoking."

Medicines And Nicotine Replacements That Help You Quit Smoking

"Smokers can be found guilty of experimentation with a highly dangerous and addictive drug - nicotine."

Schizophrenics Take In More Nicotine Per Cigarette

"The dangers of smoking are pretty self evident as it is not only the nicotine content that will harm your health, but also the many chemicals that cigarettes contain."

 

"This can include friends and family who want to see you quit, as well as a formal support group."