The main way that smoking causes cancer (14 types of cancer) is by damaging our DNA, including key genes that protect us from toxic elements. When certain genes are damaged, your cells start to grow and divide out of control. That alone can lead to cancer. Many of the chemicals found in cigarettes have been shown to cause DNA damage, including benzene, polonium-210, benzo(a)pyrene and nitrosamines. It usually takes many years, or decades, for the DNA damage from smoking to cause cancer. However researchers has shown that for every 15 cigarettes smoked there is a DNA change which could cause a cell to become cancerous. This is why it’s better to give up smoking sooner rather than later.
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