How do cigarettes affect the body? - Krishna Sudhir

翻译人员: Annie Zhang 校对人员: Yinchun Rui

Cigarettes aren’t good for us.

香烟对我们无益

That’s hardly news--we’ve known about the dangers of smoking for decades.

这已经不算是新闻了 -- 几十年来我们一直都知道抽烟的危害。

But how exactly do cigarettes harm us?

但是香烟到底是 怎么伤害我们的？

Let’s look at what happens as their ingredients

让我们看看 当香烟的成分进入我们的身体时

make their way through our bodies,

会发生什么，

and how we benefit physically when we finally give up smoking.

以及戒烟后对身体有什么好处。

With each inhalation,

每吸一次烟，

smoke brings its more than 5,000 chemical substances

烟雾会携带五千以上的 化学成分

into contact with the body’s tissues.

和身体组织接触。

From the start, tar, a black, resinous material,

从一开始， 焦油， 一种黑色的树枝材料，

begins to coat the teeth and gums,

会覆盖牙齿和牙龈

damaging tooth enamel, and eventually causing decay.

损伤牙釉质， 最终导致腐烂。

Over time, smoke also damages nerve-endings in the nose,

随着时间的推移， 烟雾也会伤害鼻子中的神经末梢

causing loss of smell.

导致嗅觉丢失。

Inside the airways and lungs,

在气道和肺内部，

smoke increases the likelihood of infections,

抽烟会增加感染的可能性，

as well as chronic diseases like bronchitis and emphysema.

以及慢性疾病 比如支气管炎和肺气肿。

It does this by damaging the cilia,

它是通过破坏纤毛来实现的，

tiny hairlike structures whose job it is to keep the airways clean.

微小的毛发状结构 其作用是保持气道清洁。

It then fills the alveoli,

然后填充肺泡，

tiny air sacs that enable the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide

微小的空气囊 能使氧气和二氧化碳

between the lungs and blood.

在肺部和血液之间交换。

A toxic gas called carbon monoxide crosses that membrane into the blood,

一个叫一氧化碳的毒气 穿过膜进入血液，

binding to hemoglobin

使血红蛋白结合

and displacing the oxygen

以及置换氧气

it would usually have transported around the body.

它通常会在身体周围传播。

That’s one of the reasons smoking can lead to oxygen deprivation

这就是吸烟可导致 缺氧和呼吸急促的

and shortness of breath.

原因之一。

Within about 10 seconds,

在大概十秒的范围内，

the bloodstream carries a stimulant called nicotine to the brain,

血液携带一种叫做 尼古丁的兴奋剂进入大脑，

triggering the release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters

多巴胺和其他神经递质 释放的触发，

including endorphins

包括内啡肽，

that create the pleasurable sensations which make smoking highly addictive.

会通过制造愉快的感觉 使吸烟上瘾

Nicotine and other chemicals from the cigarette

香烟携带的尼古丁和其他化学成分

simultaneously cause constriction of blood vessels

会使血脉缢缩

and damage their delicate endothelial lining,

同时损伤它们脆弱的内皮细胞

restricting blood flow.

限制血流。

These vascular effects lead to thickening of blood vessel walls

这些血管效应会导致血脉壁增厚

and enhance blood platelet stickiness,

和提高血小板的黏度

increasing the likelihood that clots will form

提高血块形成的可能性

and trigger heart attacks and strokes.

引发心脏病发作和中风。

Many of the chemicals inside cigarettes can trigger dangerous mutations

香烟里面许多的化学成分 可以引发严重的基因突变

in the body’s DNA that make cancers form.

使癌症形成

Additionally, ingredients like arsenic and nickel

此外， 砷和镍等成分

may disrupt the process of DNA repair,

也许会破坏DNA修复的过程，

thus compromising the body’s ability to fight many cancers.

从而损害身体对抗许多癌症的能力。

In fact, about one of every three cancer deaths in the United States

事实上， 在美国三分之一的 癌症死亡

is caused by smoking.

是吸烟导致的。

And it’s not just lung cancer.

而且不只是肺癌。

Smoking can cause cancer in multiple tissues and organs,

吸烟既可以使多个组织和器官致癌

as well as damaged eyesight

又可以使视力受损

and weakened bones.

甚至骨骼变弱。

It makes it harder for women to get pregnant.

它使女性受孕变得更加困难。

And in men, it can cause erectile dysfunction.

和使男性有勃起功能的障碍

But for those who quit smoking,

但是对于那些戒烟的人来说，

there’s a huge positive upside

有一个巨大的好处

with almost immediate and long-lasting physical benefits.

跟几乎立即和持久的身体益处

Just 20 minutes after a smoker’s final cigarette,

吸烟者抽完最后一支烟的 二十分钟后

their heart rate and blood pressure begin to return to normal.

他们的心跳和血压 就开始恢复正常了

After 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels stabilize,

十二个小时之后， 一氧化碳达到标准

increasing the blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity.

增加血液携氧能力

A day after ceasing,

停止一天之后，

heart attack risk begins to decrease as blood pressure and heart rates normalize.

血压和心跳回归正常 使心脏病突发的危险降低

After two days,

两天之后，

the nerve endings responsible for smell and taste start to recover.

负责嗅觉和味觉的 神经末梢开始恢复

Lungs become healthier after about one month,

肺在大概一个月之后变得更健康

with less coughing and shortness of breath.

减少咳嗽和呼吸急促。

The delicate hair-like cilia in the airways and lungs

毛发似的纤毛在呼吸道和肺内

start recovering within weeks,

几周内开始恢复，

and are restored after 9 months, improving resistance to infection.

和九个月后结束修复， 提高抗感染能力

By the one-year anniversary of quitting,

戒烟后的一周年，

heart disease risk plummets to half as blood vessel function improves.

心脏病风险骤然跌落到一半 同时血管功能改善。

Five years in,

五年内，

the chance of a clot forming dramatically declines,

血栓形成的几率大大下降，

and the risk of stroke continues to reduce.

中风风险持续减少。

After ten years, the chances of developing fatal lung cancer

十年后， 罹患致命肺癌的机会

go down by 50%,

下降到50%，

probably because the body’s ability to repair DNA is once again restored.

大概是因为又一次恢复 身体修复DNA的能力。

Fifteen years in, the likelihood of developing coronary heart disease

十五年内， 患发冠心病的可能性

is essentially the same as that of a non-smoker.

基本上和非吸烟者相同。

There’s no point pretending this is all easy to achieve.

假装这一切都很容易实现 是没有意义的。

Quitting can lead to anxiety and depression,

戒烟可导致焦虑和抑郁，

resulting from nicotine withdrawal.

由于戒断尼古丁导致的。

But fortunately, such effects are usually temporary.

但幸运的是， 这种影响通常是暂时的。

And quitting is getting easier, thanks to a growing arsenal of tools.

感谢越来越多的工具库， 戒烟变得越来越容易。

Nicotine replacement therapy through gum,

口香糖替代尼古丁的疗法，

skin patches,

皮肤贴片，

lozenges,

含片，

and sprays

和喷雾

may help wean smokers off cigarettes.

可以帮助吸烟者戒烟

They work by stimulating nicotine receptors in the brain

它们通过刺激大脑中的 尼古丁受体来起作用

and thus preventing withdrawal symptoms,

从而防止戒断症状，

without the addition of other harmful chemicals.

不含其他有害化学物质。

Counselling and support groups,

咨询和互助小组，

cognitive behavioral therapy,

认知行为疗法，

and moderate intensity exercise

和中等强度运动

also help smokers stay cigarette-free.

也可以帮助吸烟者 保持不吸烟的状态

That’s good news,

这是一个好消息

since quitting puts you and your body on the path back to health.

从戒烟让你和你的身体 回到健康的道路上开始。