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Quit smoking for good

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If you've already quit and the going gets tough, here are 10 further reasons why you should stick to your resolution not to smoke. Or if you're still lighting up, maybe these reasons will give you the motivation you need.

Heartburn hell. Smoke for more than 20 years, and your chances of getting acid reflux go up by 70%, research shows. And anyone who has lain awake at night feeling like their chest is on fire, will know that heartburn and acid reflux is to be avoided at all costs.

Breast cancer scare. Research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute has shown that the prevalence of breast cancer was 30% higher among women who smoked, than among those who never smoked.

Cot death rate increase. Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) doubles in babies who have mothers that smoke

The agony of Alzheimer's. Mental decline in elderly smokers, is five times as fast as it is in non-smokers, researchers report in journal Neurology. Smoking does indeed cause artery decline to speed up, resulting in faster mental decline among smokers.

Colic link to tobacco. According to new research,smoke appears to raise levels of a gut hormone called motilin in the blood and intestines. Motilin increases the contractions of the stomach and intestines, increasing the movement of food through the gut. "Higher-than-average motilin levels are linked to elevated risks of infantile colic," according to researchers in the journal Pediatrics.

Lighting up leads to impotence. A study conducted among 5,000 Chinese men, showed that men who smoked more than a pack of cigarettes a day, were 60% more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction, compared to non-smokers.

Smoke gets in your eyes. Those who smoke are four times more likely to become blind as a result of age-related macular degeneration than non-smokers

Rheumatoid risk. If someone is genetically vulnerable to rheumatoid arthritis, and they are smokers, they are nearly 16 times more likely to develop the disease than non-smokers without the same genetic profile, according to a study published in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Snoring. If you smoke heavily, you are more likely to snore at night than a non-smoker, researchers reported in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. Habitual snoring, which is defined as disturbing snoring at least three nights per week, affected 24% of smokers, 20% of ex-smokers, and almost 14% of people who had never smoked.

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