Smoking is known to have many negative health effects including the risk for lung cancer. There are also connections with smoking and thyroid function. Many of these effects are dependent on the amount of cigarettes a person smokes and how long they have been smoking. Once a person stops smoking, the effects associated with the thyroid gradually diminish. Several thyroid conditions have been linked to smoking. Smokers have an increased risk for developing a goiter and multiple thyroid nodules. There is also an association between smoking and an increased risk for Graves’ disease hyperthyroidism. On the other hand, smoking also appears to decrease the risk for hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis as well as the risk for thyroid cancer. This interesting new finding was discussed in a research publication in Clinical Endocrinology, and reported dose-dependent relationship between TSH and smoking. Levels of T3 and T4 are increased in the same group of people. Smokers tend to have a lower body mass index which could partly contribute to the association. Smoking is very unhealthy due to the fact that tobacco contains harmful gases and carcinogens such as free radicals. Despite the connection with smoking and deceased risk for thyroid cancer and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis hypothyroidism, it is still beneficial to stop smoking or do not start smoking to prevent the other negative health risks.
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thyroid cancer, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, Graves' disease,
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