Long before cigarettes became a household name, indigenous communities in the Americas used tobacco in spiritual rituals, believing it possessed healing and ceremonial powers.1 By the early 1900s, cigarette companies popularized smoking as a lifestyle, promoting the idea that it was chic, masculine, and even “healthy.”2
Those messages stuck. Smoking rates exploded through the mid-20th century, even after health warnings started showing up in the 1960s.3 Today, about 29 million Americans still smoke. And although many of them wanted to or have made attempts to quit, the majority of them fail to do so completely.4
Some have tried to cut down their cigarette use instead, believing that having just a few sticks is harmless — however, new research says otherwise, proving that even light smoking can cause lasting damage.
What Researchers Discovered About ‘Safe’ Smoking
A new study published in the Public Library of Science (PLOS) Medicine explored whether smoking only a few cigarettes a day is as harmless as many believe. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University analyzed the smoking habits of more than 300,000 adults for nearly two decades to understand how light smoking affects heart health and how quickly risk declines after quitting.5
• A massive dataset spanning decades — The team pooled data from 22 long-term studies, following 323,826 adults for up to 19.9 years. This produced more than 25 million person-years of follow-up, during which researchers recorded 125,044 deaths and 54,078 cardiovascular events, including heart attacks, strokes, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure.
Participants were grouped as never-smokers, former smokers, and current smokers, with cigarette use ranging from two to five cigarettes per day to more than 20.6
• How scientists measured risk — Researchers used advanced statistical models called Cox proportional hazard models to estimate how smoking changes disease risk compared to never smoking. They looked at three factors:7
◦ Pack-years (how many packs per day over time)
◦ Cigarettes per day
◦ Years since quitting
The analysis concentrated on primary cardiovascular outcomes, including coronary heart disease, stroke, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, and all-cause mortality. Hazard ratios (HRs) were computed to quantify the magnitude of risk elevation.8
• What the numbers revealed — Smoking just two to five cigarettes daily was linked to a 50% higher risk of heart failure and a 60% higher risk of death from any cause compared to never smoking. Compared to never-smokers, current smokers also faced:9,10
◦ 74% (in men) to 107% (in women) higher risk of cardiovascular disease
◦ 26% higher risk of atrial fibrillation
◦ 57% higher risk of heart failure
• Cutting down doesn’t reduce the risk — One of the most striking findings was the nonlinear dose-response pattern. Dropping from 20 cigarettes to two per day did not produce a proportional drop in danger. The authors conclude that there is no safe level of smoking.11
• Quitting slowly changes the game — The most significant drop in risk happens in the first 10 years after quitting, but benefits keep building for decades. Former smokers eventually reach a more than 80% lower risk than current smokers within 20 years of cessation. Still, even decades later, their risk may not fully match that of never-smokers.12
• Cutting down? Try cutting it out — “People often think that smoking just a few cigarettes a day is a safe compromise. Our data shows that even very low levels of smoking substantially increase cardiovascular risk. The only safe option is complete cessation,” said Dr. Michael J. Blaha, M.D., M.P.H., senior author of the study and lead investigator for the American Heart Association’s Tobacco Center for Regulatory Science grant-funded research initiatives.
Why Do People Keep Smoking?
Now that you know cutting back isn’t enough to protect your health, you might wonder why quitting feels so hard. The truth is that a cigarette isn’t just a cigarette; it’s made to keep you wanting it so much that giving it up can feel almost painful.
• Nicotine is the reason cigarettes are addictive — When you take a puff, nicotine reaches your brain in seconds and triggers chemicals that make you feel calm, alert and focused. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over time your brain adapts and starts to rely on nicotine just to feel normal. That’s why quitting can bring withdrawal symptoms like anxiety, irritability, restlessness, or brain fog.13
• Tobacco companies invest billions to keep people smoking — According to the American Lung Association, “Tobacco products are one of the most heavily marketed consumer products in the US.” In 2022 alone, the five largest tobacco companies in the U.S. spent $8.01 billion (or close to $22 million in today’s money) in advertising their products.14
“The largest single category of marketing and promotional expenditures in 2022 was price discounts paid to cigarette retailers and wholesalers to lower the cost of cigarettes to consumers. These categories combined accounted for close to 86% ($6.88 billion) of expenditures.15
The price of cigarettes greatly influences youth smoking. A 10% increase in cigarette prices leads to a 7% reduction in youth consumption.16 However, price discounts and retail value-added promotions can offset the effect of increased state tobacco taxes.”
• The rise of electric “alternatives” — E-cigarette marketing has increased significantly, with sales rising from $2.39 billion in 2020 to $2.76 billion in 2021.17 Companies are taking advantage of loopholes by offering discounted e-cigarettes for as little as $118 and focusing heavily on flavored products, particularly menthol. Menthol cartridge sales surged from 16.7% in 2019 to 69.2% in 2021, and nearly half of all disposable devices sold are mint or menthol disposables.19
• Tobacco ads stick with young minds — A 2014 study found that 41% of kids ages 12 to 13 were receptive to at least one tobacco ad, and that number jumped to nearly half among older teens. The strongest response was to e-cigarette ads, followed by cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and cigars.20
• Certain groups are targeted more than others — Decades of research show that tobacco companies deliberately focus on communities and ethnic groups most at risk, using cultural cues, price discounts, and flavored products to drive sales and addiction.
For example, Black neighborhoods historically faced 70% higher odds of tobacco billboards and 2.6 times more tobacco ads per person than white neighborhoods.21 Tobacco-related disease kills 45,000 Black Americans every year.22
Women have also been widely targeted by tobacco marketing, emphasizing slimness, independence, and social appeal. Historic ads linked smoking to weight control with slogans like “Reach for a Lucky instead of a sweet.”23 Industry documents show targeted campaigns for military wives, inner-city minority women and older discount-sensitive women using direct language and price promotions.24
Smoking’s Toll on Your Health Explained
Whether it’s a cigarette or an e-cigarette, the danger begins the moment you take that first puff. Within 10 seconds, toxic chemicals travel from your lips straight to your brain, heart, and other organs. This damage affects almost every part of your body and raises your risk of many diseases.25
• It changes your appearance — Smoking introduces thousands of chemicals in your body, which interfere with its biological processes, altering how you look. Some of the most common physical changes you might realize are yellow stains on your nails, your skin looking less supple,26 and a multitude of oral disease symptoms.
In a 2024 study published in the Saudi Dental Journal, researchers compared the effects of different types of smoking on oral health to evaluate changes in the mouth for different kinds of smokers:27
“Most of the oral symptoms reported in this study were among conventional and electronic cigarettes smokers. While hookah smokers reported the least oral symptoms. Increase in [Decayed-Missing-Filled index or] DMFT and gingival index were observed among all smokers, mainly among conventional cigarettes smokers.
Conventional cigarette and hookah smokers were found to have the most significant cellular changes. Electronic cigarette smokers had certain cellular changes as well,” they concluded.
• It paves the way for inflammation — Smoking increases inflammation by promoting the growth of more harmful, inflammation-triggering bacteria. In a 2021 study published in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, which enrolled 33 smokers and 121 nonsmokers, researchers found that nonsmokers have more beneficial bacteria that make short-chain fatty acids (SCFA).
These act as natural compounds that help calm inflammation. Meanwhile, smokers have more inflammation-promoting bacteria in their systems.28
Another study in Scientific Reports examined the internal effects of long-term heavy smoking in men who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day for at least five years. Researchers in Iraq compared 104 heavy smokers with 94 nonsmokers using blood tests and lung tissue samples, assessing inflammation, blood vessel damage, and immune responses to chronic smoke exposure. They concluded:29
“The significantly elevated levels of oxidative stress markers, inflammatory cytokines, and vascular dysfunction indicators among heavy smokers highlight the urgent need for clinical and public health interventions.”
• It shuts down your immune defenses — Cigarette smoke releases toxic chemicals called aryl hydrocarbon receptor ligands (AhRLs) that flip immune cell “switches,” causing some T cells to promote tumor growth instead of fighting it. In contrast, others turn into regulatory T cells (Tregs) that suppress your body’s natural cancer defenses.30
A study in Cancer Discovery by the University of Michigan Health Rogel Cancer Center found that exposure to these toxins accelerated tumor growth and spread in both mouse and human pancreatic tissues.
Senior study author Timothy L. Frankel, M.D., co-director of the Rogel and Blondy Center for Pancreatic Cancer and Maud T. Lane Professor of Surgical Oncology at Michigan Medicine, said, “It dramatically changed the way the tumors behave. They grew much bigger, they metastasized throughout the body. It was really quite dramatic.”31
This explains why smokers often face worse cancer outcomes, as their immune system is hijacked before it even gets a chance to protect them. When researchers removed the suppressive Treg cells, tumors shrank and the immune system began fighting cancer again. “If we are able to inhibit the super suppressive cells, we might also unlock natural anti-tumor immunity,” Frankel added.32
• It increases your risk of chronic lung disease — Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a serious lung condition that makes breathing difficult. It develops when chemicals in cigarette smoke or e-cigarettes damage and narrow the airways, leading to persistent coughing, shortness of breath, and reduced lung function over time.
A major review published in npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine analyzed data from 17 studies involving more than 4.3 million adults to see how vaping affects lung health. The findings were striking: Vaping significantly raises the risk of COPD, whether you are currently vaping, used to vape, or have only tried it a few times. Current users had a 47.3% higher risk, former users had a 76.6% higher risk, and even people who vaped once or twice showed a 79% increase.33
Another study in the Journal of Public Health focused on adults who never smoked and didn’t have asthma. Using national health data from over 177,000 people, researchers found that daily vaping made someone more likely to develop COPD than somebody who never vaped. The comprehensive study arrived at this conclusion:34
“Of the 177,209 participants, there were 7,175 (5.54%) current e-cigarette users, 26,260 (15.90%) current combustible cigarette smokers, 3,253 (2.31%) dual users of e-cigarettes and combustible cigarettes and 9,569 (4.55%) participants self-reported being diagnosed with COPD. Current e-cigarette users were more likely to be men, non-Hispanic white, young adult participants with less than college diploma and current combustible-cigarette users.”
If you want to know more about how cigarettes, vapes, or even smoke can negatively impact your body, read “How Smoking Rewires Your Immune System to Drive Pancreatic Cancer.”
What Happens to Your Body When You Quit Smoking?
Quitting smoking is emotional and physical. It can feel like losing a friend, with mood swings, cravings, anxiety, and sadness, as your brain adjusts. The American Cancer Society outlines what the health effects are — and how soon they can manifest — when you quit to smoking:35
• Minutes after your last cigarette — Your heart rate begins to slow, and blood pressure starts to stabilize.
• 24 hours to a few days — Nicotine clears from your bloodstream, and carbon monoxide levels return to normal, allowing oxygen to flow freely again.
• One to 12 months — Coughing and shortness of breath ease as your lungs start repairing themselves.
• One to two years — Your risk of heart attack drops significantly.
• Five to 10 years — Your risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, and voice box is cut in half, and your stroke risk declines.
• 10 years — Your chances of lung cancer fall by about 50%, and risks for bladder, esophagus, and kidney cancers decrease.
• 15 years — Your risk of coronary heart disease is nearly the same as someone who never smoked.
• 20 years — Your risk for several cancers, including mouth, throat, voice box, and pancreas drops close to that of a nonsmoker. Cervical cancer risk is cut by about half.
How to Prepare Your Body and Mind Before You Quit
If you’ve smoked for years, you already know it’s taken a toll. But here’s the good news: you can start repairing your body before you quit, which will make quitting easier. When your system is stronger, cravings feel less overwhelming, your mood steadies, and your brain is better equipped to break the habit. Quitting is still the ultimate goal, but building resilience first helps you stick with it and feel better faster. Here’s how:
1. Employ a bioenergetic diet and cut out seed oils — Before you quit, start eating nutrient-dense whole foods like root vegetables and ripe fruit. These foods help reduce internal stress, regulate immune response, and rebuild tissues. Avoid processed foods, alcohol, and harmful seed oils loaded with linoleic acid (LA), as they feed inflammation and make cravings worse.
Replace seed oils with grass fed butter, ghee, or tallow instead. For a deeper dive, check out my book “Your Guide to Cellular Health: Unlocking the Science of Longevity and Joy.”
2. Add movement to boost oxygen and reset your stress response — Smoking trains your nervous system to expect relief from nicotine. Retrain it with daily walks, outdoor time, or gentle breathwork. Even 15 minutes a day improves nitric oxide production and circulation — the very things smoking breaks down.
3. Retrain your brain to replace cravings with action — Cravings are habits wired into emotional cues and routines. Tools like Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), mindful breathing, or home-based brain stimulation devices interrupt those urges and rewire how your brain responds. Combine these with daily movement to shift dopamine and reward pathways.
4. Redesign your space to break the ritual — Remove triggers like ashtrays and lighters, and replace them with cues like houseplants that refresh your senses and leave you feeling calmer and relaxed, rather than wanting to light another cigarette.
5. Reset your brain with sunlight and sleep — When your circadian rhythm, the body’s internal clock, is thrown off, addiction can take hold more easily. Start your day with natural sunlight, limit blue light exposure at night, and stick to a regular sleep schedule to give your brain a fresh start. A strong circadian rhythm helps stabilize dopamine, making it easier to fight cravings and stay smoke-free long term.
6. Seek professional help — If you’ve tried to quit smoking or vaping on your own but keep struggling, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to do it alone. In one study, 508 young adults (ages 18 to 24) received just two coaching calls through a quitline program. After three months, researchers found that nearly half had successfully stopped smoking, showing that even brief professional support can make a real difference.36
Smoking cigarettes is never just a habit — it’s designed to keep you hooked. Even light smoking isn’t safe, and neither is occasional vaping. Cutting back simply won’t cut the risk. The first step to eliminate this habit isn’t going cold turkey; it’s building the strength to try. You deserve lungs that breathe freely, a mind that’s yours again, and a future that smells like freedom — not smoke.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Smoking
Q: Why did people use to think smoking was healthy?
A: In the early 1900s, cigarette companies heavily marketed smoking as chic, calming, and even good for you. That image stuck for decades, even after health warnings appeared in the 1960s.
Q: Is smoking just a few cigarettes a day really that dangerous?
A: Yes. A study published in PLOS Medicine by researchers from Johns Hopkins University tracked over 323,826 adults across 22 long-term studies for up to 19.9 years. It found that smoking just two to five cigarettes a day increased the risk of heart failure by 50% and death from any cause by 60% compared to never-smokers.
Q: Is vaping safer than smoking?
A: No. A 2024 meta-analysis published in npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine analyzed 17 studies involving more than 4.3 million adults worldwide. It found that vaping raised the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by 47.3% in current users, 76.6% in former users, and 79% in people who had vaped only once or twice.
Q: Why do people keep smoking or vaping if they know the risks?
A: Because nicotine is highly addictive and rewires the brain to depend on it. At the same time, tobacco companies spend billions on marketing — using discounts, flavors, and targeted messaging to keep people hooked, especially young adults, minorities, women, and low-income communities.
Q: Can I undo the damage done to my body after I quit smoking?
A: You can’t fully erase the harm, but your risk drops fast after quitting. The first 10 years bring the biggest health gains, and benefits keep growing the longer you stay smoke-free.
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