Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, February 23, 1993 TAG: 9302230145
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Jane Brody
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
IF YOU CAN'T STOP SMOKING, AT LEAST CUT THE RISKS
Given the evidence for the ill effects of cigarette smoking on health and appearance and a social climate that all but ostracizes smokers, it is difficult for non-smokers to understand why anyone continues to smoke. But cigarettes still have a stranglehold on about 46 million Americans, many of whom think they cannot quit or have no desire to try.For many smokers, tobacco is more than a pleasure and more than a drug addiction. It is an antidepressant that helps people concentrate, remember and think more quickly, and for such immediate benefits they are willing to put their health, even their lives, on the line.
Should society simply give up on die-hard smokers or should they be advised on how they might at least partlyprotect their health from the daily ravages of nicotine, tars, carbon monoxide and other noxious gases?
And what about the nonsmokers who are endangered by involuntary exposure to the toxic substances in tobacco smoke at home, at work and now increasingly in the street? Short of wearing a gas mask all day, can they reduce the now well-established risks of passive smoking?
Clearly, there is no substitute for quitting smoking and banishing it from the air Americans breathe. But as evidence continues to accumulate for the protective value of a nutrient-rich diet and regular exercise, there is reason to believe that active and passive smokers can to some degree counter the ill effects of tobacco.
Although it may be questionable whether smokers willing to risk their health on tobacco would bother to pursue other habits that foster good health, they and especially those exposed to other people's smoke should at least know how to reduce their risks.
Much of the harm caused by tobacco smoke can be traced to what biochemists call oxidative damage: an attack by highly reactive oxygen on cell membranes, serum cholesterol and chemicals that can be converted into carcinogens, among other materials, in the body.
To counter such damage, recent studies strongly suggest, the diet should be rich in a group of nutrients known as antioxidants. These can help prevent, for example, the conversion of serum cholesterol to a form that readily attaches to coronary arteries and can fortify cells against cancer-causing assaults.
The major dietary antioxidants are vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and other carotenoids; to some extent, the trace element selenium; and omega-3 fatty acids.
Most important of all is to stick to a low-fat diet, since dietary fat seems to encourage the growth of cancer and development of coronary heart disease.
The cardiovascular benefits of regular aerobic exercise like brisk walking, cycling and swimming laps are well known, but few people are aware of the role that exercise seems to play in preventing cancer.
On the table, vitamin C and beta-carotene (a "pre-vitamin" that the body converts to vitamin A) are prominent in many fruits and vegetables. Smoking seriously depletes the body's supply of vitamin C. Good dietary sources of vitamin C include broccoli, turnip greens, citrus fruits and juices, tomatoes, strawberries, melon, green peppers and potatoes (especially in fall and winter). Smokers might also consider a daily supplement of up to 500 milligrams of vitamin C as an addition to, not a replacement for, vitamin-rich foods.
Beta-carotene is also readily available in ordinary foods, including dark-green leafy vegetables like broccoli and spinach and many deep yellow and orange vegetables and fruits like carrots, sweet potatoes, cantaloupe and mangos. Again, a daily 25-milligram supplement may give added protection, according to a continuing study of thousands of doctors.
Selenium, a trace element, is needed in only tiny amounts; an excess much beyond 150 micrograms a day can be toxic. It is found in seafood, whole grains, pasta, garlic and milk. Selenium works hand in glove with vitamin E, whose antioxidant properties have been well documented both in laboratory animals and in people.
But vitamin E is hard to come by in an otherwise wholesome diet, for it is most prominent in vegetable oils and margarine, which should be cautiously consumed in a low-fat diet. Other sources include wheat germ and, to a lesser extent, whole-grain breads and cereals, liver, dried beans and green leafy vegetables. To raise vitamin E intake to effective antioxidant levels, a daily supplement is necessary. Accordingly, many experts now recommend a capsule of 400 International Units once or twice a day for everyone and especially for smokers.
Fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids, especially species like mackerel, salmon, bluefish and sardines, are another good source of protective nutrients. Diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids are associated with a low risk of developing coronary heart disease and suffering heart attacks. Other sources of these protective oils are flaxseed and purslane, which are hardly commonplace in American diets. Ordinary people are now being advised to eat fish at least twice a week; for smokers, double that amount might be wiser.
Other foods that should be prominent in a diet intended to ward off heart disease and cancer are garlic and onions, fiber-rich whole (unrefined) grains and whole-grain breads and cereals and cabbage-family vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy, watercress, mustard greens and all manner of cabbages. In addition, calcium-rich foods like nonfat and low-fat dairy products, collard greens and canned sardines and salmon with the bones may be important to counter the raised risk of osteoporosis among smokers. A final tip: Smoking damages the collagen in skin and can result in heavy facial wrinkling in midlife. To keep from wrinkling further, avoid unnecessary exposure to the sun and always use a good sunscreen, with a sun protection factor of 15 or higher. The New York Times
Jane Brody writes about health issues for The New York Times.