Why is smoking so damaging to bone health?
” Nicotine and toxins in cigarettes affect bone health from many angles”, Kaur says. Cigarette smoke generates huge amounts of free radicals – molecules that attack and overwhelm the body’s natural defences. The result is a chain reaction of damage throughout the body – including cells, organs and hormones involved in keeping bones healthy. The toxins upset the balance of hormones (such as oestrogen) that bones need to stay strong. Your liver produces more oestrogen-destroying enzymes, which also leads to bone loss, says Kaur. “Smoking makes bone loss even worse in the menopausal years. It adds to the bone loss that’s already occurring.” Smoking triggers other bone-damaging changes such as increased levels of the hormone cortisol, which leads to bone breakdown, says Kaur. “Research also suggests that smoking impedes the hormone calcitonin, which helps build bones – so that hormone can’t do its job.” There’s more: “Nicotine and free radicals kill the osteoblasts – the bone-making cells”
