Brittle Bones – The Result of Smoking

The longer you smoke, the weaker and more brittle your bones become as well. Blame it on the gaseous smoke that is produced by the tobacco cigarette, which contributes to making the bones more brittle as one ages. Inhaling tobacco brands plays havoc with calcium content and therefore reduces bone density. By inhaling the toxic smoke of cigarettes, the smoker reduces the flow and amount of oxygen in the circulatory system, which, in turn, puts a strain on the bones as well.

Smoking can Produce Back Pain and Suffering

Smokers with brittle bones also suffer from back problems as the toxicity from the smoke, again, works its way through the blood stream, affecting bone health. Because bone density is minimized, smokers, who have smoked for a long time, will eventually have back problems too. A lack of bone density also makes it difficult for fractures, sprains, and slight cracks to heal.

Cigarette Smoking Reduces the Blood Supply

Not only are the bones affected by smoking tobacco brands, the blood vessels are damaged too. Smoking causes the vessels transporting blood to shorten and weaken. Therefore, less blood is available to encourage bone strength.

Smoking – Impeding Bone Development and Growth

Whatever your age, the effects of smoking on bone health can’t be ignored. The building of bones takes place from the time you are born until you are around 30 years old. Children who smoke stunt bone development to some degree, and, generally, will be smaller or slighter.

Hormone Production is Affected when you Smoke

The smoke from cigarettes is made up of free radicals – molecules that obstruct the natural defenses the body uses in order to protect itself. These radicals damage bones and also impact the functioning of organs and cells that are necessary to the strength and health of the bones. In addition, when you smoke, your body also produces more cortisol, a hormone, which causes the deterioration of the bones when overproduced. Smoking also bars the hormone calcitonin from doing its job, which is to strengthen and build up the bones.

Slow Healing

Osteoblasts–cells that increase bone mass–are also eliminated by the free radicals or molecules produced by smoking. If you are older and smoke then, you will fracture much more easily than a non-smoker. Broken bones also heal more slowly as smoke reduces the supply of blood and nutrients to the bones, both required for bone health and repair.

A Certain amount of Bone Mass can be Restored if E-cigs are Smoked or Smokers Quit

While healing can be slow for the smoker, regaining bone mass and density is possible for smokers who vape non-nicotine e-cigs, or eventually quit. Freeing yourself from the free radicals that are produced by tobacco smoke can go long way towards ameliorating the problem with brittle bones.

Osteoporosis – A Quiet Affliction

For post-menopausal women, smoking e-cigs can be helpful if they have tried an array of remedies to quit smoking. As they age, many women can see the onset of osteoporosis, where mass and density of their bones decreases. Osteoporosis is a quiet disease and smokers will not note any symptoms until they sustain a fracture.

Where Fractures Occur

Most smokers who suffer from osteoporosis will see fractures in areas such as the wrist, hip, and spine. Spine and hip fractures are seen more often in older people who suffer from the disease. Smoking can also cause irreversible damage to the bones too. Therefore, finding smoking alternatives, such as the e-cigarette or personal vaporizer, often helps smokers find a way to improve bone health and lower their risk of fractures as they age.