The majority of mouth, tongue, salivary gland and gum cancers are due to smoking or tobacco chewing. This cancer kills close to 10,000 Americans each year. Smoking is related to 80 percent of annual cases. Smoke hinders insulin uptake in the body and blood flow to the extremities, which compounds circulation problems that diabetics already experience. Smokers carry double the risk of a stroke.
Smoking causes premature wrinkling of the skin and yellows teeth and fingernails.