‘We need food not tobacco’ |02 June 2023

‘We need food, not tobacco’ – a very powerful theme for this year’s World No Tobacco Day which is very fitting as we are being asked to get rid of this toxic substance and shift our focus to what we are producing and ultimately what ends up on our plate.

Every year on May 31, the world comes together to commemorate World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) created by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to increase people’s awareness of the negative impacts of smoking.

There is so much information nowadays about the danger of smoking that exist but there is still a lot of people who choose to smoke. Most likely, it is because it is a legal drug and people often do not see its harmful effects immediately.

As global food crisis continues to escalate because of changing climates, wars and conflicts, post Covid-19 pandemic and fragile economies, farmers should be incentivised to shift from tobacco farming to nutritious and sustainable crops.

This will potentially help improve food and nutrition security globally especially in more vulnerable communities.

Millions of people die from tobacco smoking around the world every year and in addition to that, thousands lose their lives from breathing in second-hand smoke.

The WNTD should therefore be an occasion to make smokers more aware that they do not just affect their own health with smoking but also the health of loved ones and friends around them. More importantly, it is an opportune time to think about the impacts of cigarette smoking beyond just its harmful effects on our health but also how it affects our food chain and our environment.

Health implications of smoking

Even with cigarette packets showing the negative health effects of smoking people still continue to smoke most often because it takes a long time, often years for someone to experience diseases caused by smoking. Smoking has negative impacts on nearly all organs and systems in the body and may lead to disability or premature death.

Smoking causes cancer in almost all parts of the body. It can cause heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. It can also cause type 2 diabetes and make it more difficult to manage this condition.

Smoking can increase a person’s risk for eye diseases in particular cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. It also increases your risk of inflammation and has an impact on immune systems functions. Smoking can also affect your oral cavity, in particular your teeth and gums and can cause tooth loss.

A woman who smokes may have difficulty to conceive. If she is able to fall pregnant, there is increased risk of ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy in the fallopian tube instead of the uterus). During pregnancy, if a woman smokes she can harm the health of her baby during pregnancy and after delivery. Smoking can lead to early delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome and clefts in infants. When a woman gets older if she continues to smoke, she has increased risk of weakened bones (osteoporosis).

In men, smoking can affect the quality of sperms, which can reduce fertility, increase risk of birth defects and miscarriage. If planning a pregnancy therefore, the man is usually encouraged to abstain from smoking.

Although not really talked about as much, second-hand smoking can also have various deleterious effects on a person’s health. It can lead to heart disease, stroke and lung cancer in adults. Young children who breathe in second-hand smoke are at increased risk of acute respiratory infections and other respiratory symptoms, middle ear disease, have more severe asthma attacks and impaired lung functions and development.

Nutritional implications of smoking

Tobacco smoke contains many harmful compounds including nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide. Nicotine interacts with the brain altering a person’s ability to taste flavours of food and it suppresses appetite.

Smoking also has an impact on how the body absorbs and utilises certain nutrients in particular certain vitamins and minerals. Smoking affects the absorption of Vitamins B1, B6, B12, C, D, E, pro-vitamin A (Beta-carotene), Selenium, Zinc.

Some of these vitamins and minerals are antioxidants so reduced absorption of these means that they are less available to protect body cells. Conversely, cigarette smoke contains chemicals that form free radicals, which cause damage to body cells. 

Furthermore, poor and inadequate food intake especially of nutrient-dense foods like fruits, vegetables and wholegrains may exacerbate the nutritional status of smokers.

Environmental implications of smoking

Aside from the negative health impacts of tobacco smoking, we should all be concerned about its impact on planetary health. Large land masses are deforested every year for growing tobacco leading to biodiversity loss.

The amount of fertilisers and pesticides used can cause soil degradation making it more difficult to grow anything else and therefore making the land more prone to desertification.

Nutritional recommendations

Although a smoker may lower their risk of health complications from having a varied and nutritious diet, the real benefit comes from abstaining from smoking altogether.

In general, there is not much difference in terms of the nutritional needs of smokers and non-smokers. The main difference is for vitamins needed. In particular, smokers need more vitamin C than non-smokers do but this should come from the diet without the need for supplementation. This would include consuming a diversity of fruits, vegetables, local starches, wholegrains, fish, poultry, lean meat, eggs, lentils, beans, nuts, seeds and healthy oils as recommended in the Seychelles Food Guide.

Some people may gain some weight after they quit smoking because of improved taste acuity and improved appetite. The quality of the diet, types and amount of food included can however make a significant difference for weight gained. Resisting cravings for unhealthy sugary, fatty and salty foods by not stocking such food items at home can also help in weight management. It is also important to stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water and controlling the amount of caffeine-containing beverages like tea and coffee consumed. Aside from diet, remember to keep your daily movements in check by regularly engaging in physical activity and sitting less.

Have you considered quitting smoking? Remember to take it slow and focus on the ‘little wins’ and before you know it you will be well on your way to being smoke-free.

Thank you for joining us this week on our Eat for Our Health page. Look us up on social media - Eat for Our Health Seychelles on Facebook.

Please get in touch by emailing eat4ourhealth@gmail.com and let us know how you’re doing with these ideas, or better still, let us know how we can help you.

Yours in health

The E4OH team