Facts: Smoking, Alcohol & Junk Food

Smoking, alcohol, and junk food are the most significant three idiots of nutrition and health. And sadly, everyone seems to love this trio even though their harmful effects are evident, apparent, and known to all.

We all know the ill effects of the above-said things, like smoking can cause cancers and lead to various other lung diseases, alcohol can damage the liver and junk food can make you obese.

Now have a look at some alarming facts related to them.

Contents

1 The Danger of Smoking
2 Facts About Alcohol
3 Junk Food

The Danger of Smoking

Cigarettes contain over 4,000 chemical compounds and 400 toxic chemicals, including tar, carbon monoxide, DDT, arsenic, and formaldehyde. The nicotine in cigarettes, in particular, makes them highly addictive. Smoking causes many diseases and it is difficult to determine where it starts.

Any amount and type of smoking are harmful to your health. Besides being a notorious risk factor for lung cancer, coronary artery disease, heart attack and stroke, smoking can damage almost any organ in our body, leading to leukemia and cancers of the kidney, pancreas, bladder, throat, mouth and uterus.

It can damage our lungs’ airways and sacs, causing chronic bronchitis and breathing difficulties. It can also raise our blood pressure and cholesterol levels, reduce bone density in women and increase the risk of infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth and sudden infant death syndrome.

According to this dentist who does dental implants in west Hollywood CA, smoking can also cause dental and oral health problems such as periodontitis and tooth loss.

Facts About Alcohol

The alcohol in alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer, and spirits is ethanol or ethyl alcohol. It’s the only type of alcohol that you can drink without causing severe damage to your body.
Alcohol is a depressant. This means that it slows down activity in the brain.
Alcohol has a wide variety of effects. In the brain, it triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and satisfaction.
Stress relief is another side effect of drinking alcohol. The uptake of another neurotransmitter causes an increase called GABA.
Alcohol is among the most commonly misused Trusted Sources of addictive substances. About 12.7 percentTrusted Source of American adults meets the criteria for alcohol use disorder (AUD). That’s 1 in 8 adults.
According to a 2015 studyTrusted Source, light-eyed Americans of European descent consume more alcohol than dark-eyed Americans of European descent.
The same study Trusted Source, found that blue-eyed Americans of European descent had the highest levels of alcohol misuse, suggesting a genetic link that makes them more susceptible to AUD.

Junk Food

Junk food describes food and drinks low in nutrients (e.g., vitamins, minerals and fiber) and high in kilojoules, saturated fat, added sugar and salt. They are also known as discretionary choices.

How often can I eat junk food?

Junk foods are not required as part of any diet.

If you are a healthy weight, try to eat junk foods occasionally and in small amounts.
If you are trying to lose weight, you will be more successful if you limit junk food.

Why is junk food bad?

Eating junk food regularly can lead to an increased risk of obesity and chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and some cancers. This means junk food replaces other, more nutritious foods in our diets.

Junk food facts

Leads to obesity.
A regular glass of cola drink contains 8-10 spoons of sugar.
One regular-size burger has 350 calories.
Processed and canned stuff contains HIGH quantities of sodium.
Most of it is loaded with trans fat, which is responsible for increasing cholesterol.
Replaces nutrition with empty calories.