Name: How do cigarettes affect the body?
Uploaded: 2018-09-13T19:20:16Z
Duration: 4 min 58 s
Description: Cigarettes aren't good for us. That's hardly news -- we've known about the dangers of smoking for decades. But how exactly do cigarettes harm us, and can our bodies recover if we stop? Krishna Sudhir details what happens when we smoke -- and when we quit. [TED-Ed Animation by TED-Ed].

Krishna Sudhir: How do cigarettes affect the body?

How do cigarettes affect the body?

Cigarettes aren't good for us. That's hardly news -- we've known about the dangers of smoking for decades. But how exactly do cigarettes harm us, and can our bodies recover if we stop? Krishna Sudhir details what happens when we smoke -- and when we quit. [TED-Ed Animation by TED-Ed]. 

Cigarette smoke delivers over 5,000 chemicals that harm nearly every organ, rapidly disrupting everything from blood flow to DNA repair. One in three cancer deaths in the United States is linked to smoking, which triggers diseases far beyond the lungs. Yet, the body begins to heal just 20 minutes after quitting, with improvements building for years. Daily risks decline and long-term health is dramatically restored.