In Reply to: how does smoking and alcohol affect cholesteral posted by d patrick on November 28, 2000 at 21:06:40:

: can you please give me a response to this question as soon as possible

Hi D.,
I'm a smoker, so don't think I'm prejudiced. The first thing everyone thinks about is cancer. Actually, smoke products are not the primary cause.. It's worse than that. Tobacco is often contaminated by a mold called aflatoxin while in the drying and curing process (just like peanuts are). The chemical produced, also called aflatoxin, is the most potent carcinogen known to man. The tobacco companies knew this, and knew that a simple and cheap treatment with ammonia would destroy the fungus as well as its chemical...but they did nothing about it. Although fragile to ammonia, the chemical is not destroyed by the ember of the cigarette, but evaporates and is the reason that second hand smoke is just as bad as smoking directly.
Now about cholesterol. Cholesterol is used by the body, and is itself the body's native antioxidant. When the body detects oxidative attacks on it, it produces cholesterol relative to the degree of attack. Now in chemistry, the old saying is "If temperature is raised, any chemical reaction that can happen, will happen". And, the higher the temp, the faster it happens". How many chemicals are we inhaling? Most are active and oxidative or hydroxyl. So up goes the cholesterol. But the worst damage is the oxidation of the triglycerides, LDL's, and VLDL's. These form atherosclerotic plaque. If you insist on smoking, take the minimum of 600mg of NAC, (N-acetyl Cysteine) daily..It's the smokers friend. I'm 67 yrs old and in great health except for my teeth,(which are also ruined by smoking). A word to the wise...Quit smoking. I'm too old to worry about it. God bless, B.T.