THE BRAIN
The brain is your body’s center for mood and conscious
thought. It controls most of your voluntary movements
and makes thinking and feeling possible. It also regulates
unconscious body processes, such as digestion and breathing.
Arteries leading from the heart and lungs carry oxygen
and other chemicals to the brain. Smoking a cigarette
sends chemicals to the brain, changing its chemistry,
and affecting a smoker’s mood. Nicotine reaches the
brain ten seconds after smoke is inhaled.
THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMOKING
ON THE BRAIN
Smoking is a major cause of
strokes.
Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the
United States. About 600,000 strokes occur in the United
States each year, and about 30% of those strokes
cause death.
