Modern science provides thousands of evidence that smoking adversely affects the human body. This is proved by research with careful selection and numerous statistics.
A healthy endocrine system and smoking are almost incompatible due to the effects of nicotine on the corresponding brain receptors.
This leads to rapid addiction and poor production of a substance similar to it in the body. How do smoking and hormones interact? And why are cigarettes in the hands of women and men fraught with serious damage to reproductive function?
Impact on the endocrine system in the long and short term
A cigarette has positive aspects that are often overlooked. The whole problem is that any positive effect on the endocrine system is short-term.
And all the negativity that smoldering tobacco carries in itself remains with people for a long time, and part of it is completely forever. What is the positive effect on the endocrine system?
The positive effect of nicotine on the body and endocrine system
First of all, the amount of dopamine , the hormone responsible for part of cognitive abilities and, of course, for pleasure, rises . This happens in an abrupt manner:
- in 20–40 minutes a person will feel exhausted;
- the feeling of euphoria goes away;
- thoughts are slowed down a bit (this effect will last for 1 hour or even 1 day, depending on the length of service);
- after smoking, dopamine is released in a smaller amount, compensating for the previous excess.
And also nicotine is a short-acting nootropic , that is, for a short period of time, a person remembers information faster, concentrates more easily and is able to remember in large volumes.
But such an effect is observed only in smokers with experience, beginners may experience dizziness and blurred consciousness due to a sharp hormonal surge.
The negative effects of nicotine
In the long run, during smoking, people only “raise” their cognitive abilities and the concentration of certain hormones to the previous level that they had before smoking, and because of the desire of our body to constantly increase dopamine, which is laid down by evolution, a constant increase is required dosages of the drug.
Thus, the entire hormonal system begins to suffer.
All this is associated with changes in the endocrine system. And the reproductive function of men depends on the level of the same testosterone, which leads to serious problems.
Reproductive effects
Due to the biochemical processes occurring in the cerebral cortex, male smokers begin to suffer from problems with potency, semen is produced in smaller quantities, while being more rarefied. And the number of “defective” sperm cells also increases several times.
That is why many doctors, having heard about pregnancy problems in women, advise their husbands to quit smoking. The fact is that, changing the body at a hormonal level (and this is done not only by nicotine, but also by the many carcinogens contained in ordinary cigarettes for longer decay), the concentration of testosterone in the blood of a man also decreases.
Because of this, smoking athletes suffer from problems with gaining muscle mass, and ordinary people begin to notice sexual dysfunctions that have never happened before.
Together with testosterone, the production of estrogen decreases, which is already dangerous for the weaker sex. That is why it is necessary to quit a bad habit six months before pregnancy and forget about it until the woman continues to breastfeed.
Influencing certain receptors in the cerebral cortex, toxic substances slow down the production of certain hormones in the body, sending false signals about their excess.
In turn, the liver – trying to free blood from harmful substances, accelerates its work and, among other things, the decomposition of the same hormones. And the result of such a “double” attack on the endocrine system can be:
- downed menstrual cycle;
- frequent pain in the abdomen;
- the appearance of menopause, shifted 2-3 years earlier.
Impact on FSH
All active substances in a cigarette or tobacco for hookah affect the level of FSH in the blood. This leads to malfunctioning of the gonads and creates problems with conception.
This is due to polycyclic aromatic carbohydrates, which begin to act as a catalyst, accelerating egg necrosis.
Well, the most dangerous for pregnant women is that the blood level of vasopressin oxytocin begins to increase . And this, in turn, can lead to sad consequences, from mechanical injuries to the fetus and to involuntary uterine contractions, which can cause premature termination of pregnancy. Therefore, in women who smoke, the chances of becoming pregnant are almost equal to those with one ovary removed.
This is precisely what explains such overestimated statistics of people who have experienced stroke and heart attack among smokers, as well as the large number of diseases of the endocrine system in them. It follows from this that endocrine health and smoking are incompatible things.