Smoking and Digestion
Smoking has strong effects on all kinds of bodily systems, and this in turn can really change someone’s eating habits and natural digestive processes. Dozens of studies have demonstrated the many ways that cigarette smoking and nicotine addiction alter the sensory world of the smoker, and this in turn changes someone’s basic life habits.
Let’s first look at how cigarettes might make some foods unappealing, and how it decreases certain senses to see how this might change the diet or digestion. Firstly, smoking diminishes the body’s ability to taste food. Not only does it somewhat deaden the taste buds, but it can make them less sensitive to sweeter flavors. This is seen most often in the phenomenon in which smokers enjoy popular favorites such as chocolate or starchy foods a great deal less than a non-smoker.
Is this tied directly to the deadening of the sense of smell or negative effects on taste buds? Scientists have yet to prove if it is a lack of sensory enjoyment, or if the chemical reactions of nicotine are to blame. The simple fact of the matter is that smokers enjoy their food far less than the non-smoker. Interestingly enough, this doesn’t mean that they eat less. Smoking has been directly related to greater caloric intake of foods high in saturated fat and cholesterol.
This is a horrible scenario simply because smoking already increases the cholesterol level of the blood, and also bumps blood pressure up as well. While forcing the body to crave bad foods, it is also reducing the body’s ability to naturally counteract the side effects of such a diet.
Add to this the fact that smokers have a roughly seventy percent likelihood of developing acid reflux over the non-smoker, and you can see how this might greatly affect the diet and digestion. Whether it is mild heartburn or full-blown reflux, smokers seem to have a lifestyle far more prone to the occurrence of this condition.
Finally, many smokers develop a serious digestive disorder known as Crohn’s Disease. They are, in fact, four more times likely to develop this issue than a non-smoker. It is often a debilitating problem accompanied by bouts of diarrhea, pain, and the need for surgery.
The reasons for all of the digestive problems connected to smoking are not easy to pin down, but the fact that smoking is an irritant and an activity that introduces the body to thousands of chemicals is definitely a cause. Additionally, smoking triggers unnatural processes in the brain and the liver, and this too will have detrimental effects on digestion.
