How does smoking a cigarette affect my growth?

If I had a nickle for every time I was asked this question in the gym I would have....well a heavy enough bag of nickels to curl with. Now I try to live a clean and healthy lifestyle. I myself do not smoke. I workout, eat clean and activities with the kids vary from bike riding, hiking or playing ball. I've done tons of nutrition, exercise and other "health" research, and I get a lot of tips and suggestions from trainers, friends, etc. However, the answer to this question continues to elude me. So friends, aside from organ damage (which is reason enough to not have this habit) and other negative effects to the cardiovascular system, how would I answer this question next time I am asked....How will smoking a cigarette affect my growth?

Tags: cigarettes, growth, results, smoking

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Permalink Reply by Matt Gerber on April 2, 2010 at 11:49am

If the "growth" the person is talking about it in muscle mass, it makes the answer pretty simple. Cigarettes are an appetite suppressant. So the more you smoke, the less inclined you are to eat sufficiently to put on mass (which is a big enough undertaking without something that makes you eat less). I hope that is helpful. It is definitely what I would say.

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Permalink Reply by Jason C Powell on April 6, 2010 at 4:07pm

Daniel…it does PLENTY!
Long story short, just about everything our body does (growth, healing, metabolic rates, exercise output/endurance and so on) are based on how efficient our own body is at using the oxygen we breath…it’s so much more than lung volume or things like that…it’s what your body can do with the oxygen once it is in the lungs…
So…smoking damages the lungs (minus all the scientific jargon) to the point they cannot process the oxygen you breath…limiting ALL the above processes and even playing with your carbon-monoxide/oxygen ratios…all bad stuff! It is like trying to work out taking only 2/3 breathes.
I’d suggest stopping the smoking ASAP!

I hope that helped a little!

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Permalink Reply by Daniel Chavez on April 6, 2010 at 4:39pm

thank you gentlemen for your input. knowledge is key and i feel a lot more equipped to ward off the sarcasm and snickering that comes with these types of questions when i get them. thanks again guys.

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Permalink Reply by Ben Whitney on April 7, 2010 at 5:33pm

Smoking damages your lungs and heart (obviously). Damaged lungs and heart mean less oxygen and blood flow to working muscles. Less oxygen and blood flow to working muscles means less good stuff being shuttled in (like amino acids) and also less bad stuff being shuttled out (like lactic acid and other waste products).

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Permalink Reply by Steve Maliknakis on July 6, 2010 at 10:01am

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