Accurate Health Issues with Cigars?

[misterbulgarin]

Cigars are my biggest irony, I'm a fitness fan, I do weights and high intensity cardio , my cardiovascular system is in tip top shape. But I do like a cigar. I know right from the get go you say OH MY GOD SMOKING IS UNHEALTHY *makes wobbling sound with finger and lower lip*

But what are the health implications with a cigar? Other than the generic 'it can give you throat cancer and x cancer'. I am more interested in how it affects VO2Max and your inner system. Now I've not smoked since Christmas as I'm on fitness lockdown after all the food stuffing, but being ultra healthy has made me consider my favorite vice.

Do any of you fellas take part in REGULAR sport/ exercise, e.g a weights routine or whatnot. Have you noticed any difference smoking cigars and not smoking cigars.

I was smoking a good 4-6 stogies a week on and off (not an average number by the way, but that was the max) and I didnt really notice any effects. I know i'm only 20, but I like to know the science and stuff behind this............the more you know

I know it's easy to say 'cigars are bad' and it's understandable that they are to a degree, but how different is it compared to cig smokes, as we don't take it down?

[Pantomimehorse]

I remember having a good conversation with Cbob about this, if hes around I hope he chimes in as my memory isnt great...

I have 2-3 cigars a week, even less now its so cold I figure this wont do much harm. id say it helps alot that you do some cardio

[cbob]

The bottom line is:
Just about everything will kill you eventually.

I worked in lung cancer research for a bunch of years and had access to the kind of peer-reviewed high-level research papers that cost money to read and even more money to copy so the data is not available to the typical Google search.
In summary, there is almost no measurable risk for lung cancers and a minimal risk for other "head & neck" cancers from cigar smoking IF the smoke is not being drawn into the lungs.
There were some reported links to stomach and intestinal cancers but no hard data.
Curiously, the biggest (numerically) risk for mouth and soft palate cancers was from alcohol-based mouthwashes.

But anecdotally; it makes sense to consider that:

• if you are smoking in a closed room, you ARE breathing in lots of smoke.
• if you smoke 10x as many cigars as a "nominal" smoker your risk is proportion. (although not for Churchill or George Burns?)
• if you leave your cigar in your mouth and swallow goop it's riskier.
• if your diet includes lots of cancer-fighting foods the risk is lower.
• smoking lots of cigars could give you a gravelly voice. But my voice, after 40 years of (light) cigar smoking was fine, until my blood-pressure meds made me hoarse.
• you could get lung cancer or stomach cancer from some other source.

A life of nasty, anti-social, almost totally illegal cigar puffing might be something to seriously contemplate if you are 20 years old with a long life ahead but for us FOGs, it's probably not worth worrying too much about at this point.

[Boss Hog]

Great info there cbob.


I can definatley say that cigar smoking killed my uncle.

He was knocked over by a bus on his way to the tobacconists.

[tippexx]

When I was about 14 or so I got Bobby Charlton's autograph. He gave it written on the inside of his empty Guards fag packet. I don't think smoking effected his performance much.

I'm 62, I gave up playing Squash last year. Not from any lack of energy but from a shoulder problem. I still run and swim.

I've smoked, cigarettes then cigars nearly all my adult life. Would not smoking have made me a better athlete. Possibly?, I don't know. People who smoke, but do a lot of exercise don't seem to be much held back. And, if you're competitive, you just work harder.

[daverave999]

Do any of you fellas take part in REGULAR sport/ exercise, e.g a weights routine or whatnot. Have you noticed any difference smoking cigars and not smoking cigars.

I walk quite a bit and the biggest difference I saw was when I stopped smoking cigarettes, ie. stopped inhaling.