[이진한의 메디컬 리포트]A better cigarette for health? Healthy to stop: Pearls N

A cigarette type electronic cigarette (heated cigarette) using much more widely the claim that it is less harmful than the normal cigarette. Dong-A Ilbo DB

A biased medical journalist

Recently, it has often been said to smokers that it is difficult to smoke between smokers and non-smokers. A person who smokes a cigarette after a so-called hot cigarette called a cigarette-type electronic cigarette was sold last year because his teeth are not stained yellow and the stench of the cigarette smells bad. Even cigarette smokers come and say "I quit smoking cigarettes".

Heated cigarettes are a way of heating tobacco leaves without burning them. It is popular not only in Korea, but also in Japan and in other countries because there is no smell. According to data released by the Ministry of Strategy and Finance, 263 million cigarettes were sold in October. The total market share of tobacco is 9.1%. The popularity of these heated cigarettes is pouring cold water on the frenzy of smoking cessation.

Tobacco companies are actively promoting the fact that heated cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes. Canada and others recommend e-cigarettes for health reasons. The electronic cigarette mentioned here is a "liquid electronic cigarette" that is a product of the heated cigarette much earlier, but in some cases, it is as if the heated cigarette was included in this category.

Tobacco companies and governments are in full swing because of the danger of heated cigarettes. Last month, Philip Morris filed a lawsuit against the Food and Drug Administration for disclosing information on the risk badysis of the electronic cigarette. KFDA submitted a response to the information disclosure request to the Seoul Administrative Court on 17 January and filed a lawsuit.

National smoking cessation institutes and experts actively promote the health risks of heated cigarettes. "There is nothing less harmful to health than any type of tobacco product, so smokers should immediately stop using any type of tobacco product, including cigarettes." heated, for their health, "said the Korea Cigarette Society in a recent statement.

Experts also point out that nicotine in heated cigarettes is a health threat on its own. Nicotine injected into the body causes heart disease due to an increase in blood pressure and increased contractility of the myocardium. It can also cause abnormalities of blood flow in the heart artery and a loss of cardiac muscle cells. Results from an international study suggest that smoking a cigarette a day increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

The number of cigarette smokers is increasing rapidly because they do not smell bad because they do not choose to smoke inside and out is also important. The tobacco companies say that "heated cigarettes do not pose any risk of exposure to second-hand smoke because of their emissions". However, the smoke emitted by heated cigarettes is an aerosol containing solid or liquid components in the gas phase. This aerosol contains toxic substances such as nicotine and carcinogens. Even if it is not visible to the eye and does not smell bad, it can have indirect harmful effects on your surroundings, such as ordinary tobacco smoke.

International studies supporting this are also sufficient. A team of researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Italy found that cigarettes, heated cigarettes and electronic cigarettes contained harmful substances such as fine dust and carcinogenic aldehydes.

The problem is that smoking cessation decreases as the amount of heated cigarettes increases. It is not easy to stop smoking cigarettes that have been smoking for a long time. In recent years, however, there are different ways to help quit smoking, and the government fully supports the cost of smoking cessation treatment for smokers through the disease and the smoking cessation support project. by the council. Up to six times a week for 12 weeks.

A doctor's recommendation regarding smoking cessation, counseling for smoking cessation and taking medication can increase up to 7 times the success rate of the patient. smoking cessation. The government's tobacco cessation treatment project also includes a smoking cessation camp of 4 nights and 5 days of professional treatment. Last year, 2869 people participated in the cessation of special treatment camp. Of these, 1,846 were able to quit for six months or more, and six in ten (64.3%) were able to quit.

There is no "good cigarette" in the world. Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it did not agree with the statement that heated cigarettes are less harmful to the health. The obvious truth is one. The best thing for health is stopping smoking. There is no exception, that it is ordinary cigarettes or heated cigarettes. I would like to remind you that turning an ordinary cigarette into a heated cigarette is simply a missed opportunity to stop smoking.

A biased medical journalist [email protected]