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Smoking: Smoking also degrades mental health

Fertility disorders, respiratory diseases, lung cancer … cigarettes damage physical health. But not only. According to Israeli researchers, tobacco is also harmful to psychological well-being.

For several years, the study of the harmful effects of tobacco has focused on physical health. And rightly so, given that cigarettes cost the lives of 3.3 million smokers * worldwide (data from the World Health Organization, 2017). The impact of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer but also high blood pressure, the birth of small babies.

What about mental health? To find out, Professor Hagai Levine’s team followed 2,000 students, recruited at the University of Pristina (Kosovo) for the first group, and at the University of Belgrade (Serbia) for the second group.

Result, in both establishments, smokers were on average 2 to 3 times more exposed to the risk of depression compared to non-smokers.

Among tobacco addicts, 14% of young people suffered from this disease, compared to 4% among abstainers at the University of Pristina. Data established respectively at 19% and 11% among young people from the University of Belgrade. The level of vitality and the degree of sociability were also reduced among smokers.

“This study remains observational. There is no question of saying that cigarettes automatically trigger depression. But this confirms that tobacco has a negative impact on mental health. “

ledauphine.com

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