The Great American Smokeout on November 21 provides a fresh opportunity to kick the cigarette habit once and for all, and may provide the motivation you need at last.

You probably know that lung cancer is the most common cancer in the world, with cigarette smoking accounting for nearly 90% of the cases.1 But did you also know that smoking may increase you risk of over 50 other diseases?

According to Elson Haas, M.D., in his book The Detox Diet (Celestial Arts Publishing 1996) 2, other serious health problems associated with smoking include emphysema, heart and artery disease, cancers of the larynx, mouth and tongue, bladder, pancreas, cervix and kidney, angina, atherosclerosis, osteoporosis, acute bronchitis, blood disorders, allergies, poor circulation, varicose veins, impotence, surgical complications, and many more.

There is no question that the healthiest move any smoker can make is to quit immediately, but for many people, this is far easier said than done.

What can you do today that can help prepare you to put this important decision into action? Research suggests that improving your nutrition now will not only make quitting easier, it will help you to maintain that potentially life-saving change for good.

According to numerous studies, smokers appear to have poorer diets than non-smokers, which is compounded by the fact that cigarette smoking depletes the body of many nutrients.

According to a study in the American Journal of Public Health 3, smokers in several age, race and sex categories were found to have lower intakes of vitamin C, folic acid, fiber and vitamin A than non-smokers, with intake tending to decrease as cigarette consumption increased, particularly for vitamin C, fiber, and folic acid.

The study also found that smokers were less likely to consume fresh fruits and vegetables, high-fiber grains, and multi-vitamin/mineral supplements than non-smokers.

This research suggests that the high cancer risk associated with smoking is compounded by a reduced intake of the foods and nutrients that are known to protect you from cancer. Unfortunately, insufficient levels of these nutrients may contribute to many smoking-related health issues.

So how does smoking create nutritional damage? Tobacco smoke contains numerous compounds emitted as gases and condensed tar particles.

Many of these compounds act as oxidants and pro-oxidants, producing free radicals that damage the body's membranes.

Vitamins C and E, beta-carotene and selenium are involved in the overall cellular antioxidant defense against the dangerous effects of free radicals. However, smoking has been shown to lower the level of vitamin C and beta-carotene in plasma, in addition to vitamin E and many key B-complex vitamins.

Additionally, cadmium, naturally found in tobacco, makes selenium less available to the body and works as an antagonist to zinc—an important co-factor for antioxidant enzymes.4

Moreover, as Dr. Haas explains, smoking generates an acidic condition in the body. He recommends that smokers increase their intake of wholesome foods—fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains—and reduce their intake of fats, meat and dairy products, refined sugar, baked goods, cured or pickled products, food additives and alcohol.

Dr. Haas asserts that the increased alkalinity of the blood and tissue resulting from these dietary changes helps to reduce a person's craving for and interest in smoking.

Incorporating a high-potency, full-spectrum, daily multi-vitamin/mineral formula is a another vital change to make today—whether you plan to quit smoking immediately or would like to lay a healthier foundation to prepare yourself to quit. Research suggests that cigarette smokers may be especially likely to benefit from dietary supplementation.4

According to the Foundation for a Smoke Free America (www.tobaccofree.org), if you have tried to quit smoking and were unsuccessful, take comfort in the fact that most smokers fail several times before quitting. Consider any past failures as part of the journey toward becoming a nonsmoker.

The challenge is that while 80% of smokers attempt to quit without participating in any programs, studies show that 95% of these self-reliant people end up returning to this unhealthy habit. Given these statistics, you may wish to consider getting some support this time around.

Take advantage of the following resources—provided by the Foundation for a Smoke Free America—to get the help you need to quit once and for all.

Contact your local branch of the American Cancer Society, American Lung, or American Heart Associations, as each have inexpensive and effective, mainstream smoking cessation programs.

You may also wish to consider other, physician-endorsed methods, including nicotine

Once you have replaced lifestyle habits and associations connected with smoking, you can better address the physical nicotine withdrawal.

The Foundation for a Smoke Free America also provides additional ideas and recommendations, such as purchasing a "How to Quit Smoking" book or a motivational cassette tape program in a bookstore and listening to the tapes while your drive, and seeking out a Nicotine Anonymous meeting.

This 12-step program, based on Alcoholics Anonymous, is nonprofit and free, and can provide great support during this process. Call their national phone line at 800.642.0666 for the Nicotine Anonymous chapter nearest you.

Additionally, if your schedule and budget permit, you may wish to consider an inpatient program such as the one offered at the St. Helena Hospital in Northern California. Call 707.963.6360 for more information.

Whatever support system you choose, you can better prepare yourself for a healthy, non-smoking lifestyle with positive changes in your diet and exercise patterns. These include incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables, reducing your intake of coffee, alcohol, meats and refined sugar, adding a daily multi-vitamin/mineral supplement and starting to walk a minimum of 20 minutes daily, 3 times per week.

These beneficial new habits will not only make quitting easier, they will also lay the foundation for a more rapid recovery of your optimal health and wellness, while greatly increasing your chances of remaining cigarette-free into the future.

For more information about creating a Quit Smoking Nutrition Plan, e-mail Kiki Powers at kiki@aboutnhs.com or call 408.364.9742.

References

1 Virtamo J. "Vitamins and lung cancer." Proc Nutr Soc 1999 May;58(2):329-33

2 Elson Haas, M.D. The Detox Diet. Celestial Arts Publishing, 1996.

3 Subar AF, Harlan LC, Mattson ME. "Food and nutrient intake differences between smokers and non-smokers in the US." Am J Public Health 1990 Nov;80(11):1323-9

4 Romieu I, Trenga C. "Diet and obstructive lung diseases." Epidemiol Rev 2001;23(2):268-87