How unhealthy are cigars?

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Posted: 11/18/2012 9:51:22 AM EDT

How many cigars can I smoke in a week and not see any noticeable effects on my health and fitness?

I will not accept zero as an answer. I understand that not smoking them is healthier than even one, but I'm not worried about being perfect. I'm curious when the effects will become noticeable during my workouts.

Posted: 11/18/2012 9:52:18 AM EDT

[#1]

I doubt there's a concrete answer. It's gonna effect everyone differently.

Posted: 11/18/2012 9:52:45 AM EDT

[#2]

On deployment last year I was smoking about one every five or six days. After a couple months I noticed an unsolicited cough. That was enough of that.

Posted: 11/18/2012 9:53:23 AM EDT

[#3]

Ask George Burns.

Posted: 11/18/2012 9:54:06 AM EDT

[#4]

Quoted:
I'm curious when the effects will become noticeable during my workouts.

There shouldn't be if you don't smoke a lot and you don't inhale. I wouldn't smoke more than 1 a week. Obviously, the more you smoke, the higher the risk is of all of the bad stuff happening to you.

Posted: 11/18/2012 9:56:17 AM EDT

[#5]

Quoted:
Ask George Burns.

That's good anecdotal evidence. That guy was God the whole time I was growing up. Wasn't he 100 before he died?

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:00:10 AM EDT

[#6]

shouldn't be a problem unless your lungs tell you a different story. try cutting down on sharing needles and unprotected hooker / crack binges.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:02:30 AM EDT

[#7]

Quoted:
shouldn't be a problem unless your lungs tell you a different story. try cutting down on sharing needles and unprotected hooker / crack binges.

Being an Inkie makes it hard to cut down on any of those things. I'm just trying to enjoy life before I accept my natural place in life as an inmate.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:03:57 AM EDT

[#8]

way more tar than cigarettes

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:06:26 AM EDT

[#9]

Wait - you inhale cigars?

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:08:42 AM EDT

[#10]

Not that bad, just don't inhale the smoke

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:08:43 AM EDT

[#11]

Quoted:
way more tar than cigarettes

Tar that's not inhaled into the lungs.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:09:47 AM EDT

[#12]

As many as you want. You can get killed on your way to the store. You might choke to death on a sweet potato Thursday. It's a dangerous planet. The #1 cause of death is being alive. We are all born to die. 99.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999% mortality rate.

If you have to ask advice on the internet to smoke a cigar, send them to me.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:12:55 AM EDT

[#13]

Smoke the Egg and let me know how you are doing in a few hours.

ETA: They are really good smokes

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:13:46 AM EDT

[#14]

there's a statistic out there comparing those who smoke cigarette and cigars versus those that don't. obviously cigarette are the worse. but according to the stats your chances of developing cancer compared to those who don't were negligible, except in larynx cancer which was 6 times more likely. giving you smoke 2-3 cigars day though was the lowest category.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:18:52 AM EDT

[#15]

They smaell like ass. yup, I said it. I wash my clothes and shower daily. I hate sitting near some fuckstick with a cigar I don't want to smell like ass.

I used to race karts. One race weekend I practice on saturday. Once I was done I hung up my gear in a tent that I was sharing with some buds. Somebody decided to sit in my fucking chair and practiced sucking cock on his cigar. First session in the morning after a fun saturday night drinking I get my suit down from the tent where I aired it out from sweeting in the 100 degree heat and it STUNK of the cocksmokers ass stick. to make it worse my helmet was on a shelf that this piece of filth must have held his shit underneath it.

If you want to suck on that shit have some fucking class and smoke away from people.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:21:11 AM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:
there's a statistic out there comparing those who smoke cigarette and cigars versus those that don't. obviously cigarette are the worse. but according to the stats your chances of developing cancer compared to those who don't were negligible, except in larynx cancer which was 6 times more likely. giving you smoke 2-3 cigars day though was the lowest category.

Pretty much this.

Microwave dinners probably have more carcinogens in the plastic sheeting than smoking an occasional cigar.

Cigars typically are not inhaled, but there is some lung exposure. IIRC one study suggested the morbidity rate of cigars was 1/100th that of daily cigarette smoking - but "smokers" with cigarettes tend to smoke at least a pack (20) per day, every day with a significantly longer net exposure time over more of the respiratory tract; whereas MOST typical cigar smokers are more social in nature, where smoking a cigar is an "event" and not an addiction. I think smoking 1-2 per day will get you into trouble, but smoking 1 every 3-5 days is completely reasonable and you'll die from something other than oral cancer 99.99% of the time.

I see people every day who have smoked 2+ packs per day for 40 years, and don't really have any more diseases than most of their peers at that age group. However some people have a genetic advantage where their bodies deal with the side-effects much more effectively than others. Even "dip" is arguably more dangerous from an oral cancer standpoint, because the fiberglass filler cuts the gum lining to increase absorption.

But the short of it is there is no free meal - you will have an elevated risk of oral cancer and/or dental decay from the smoke itself, but it's hard to say how much more with any certainty given the limitations of known evidence.

FWIW, I've had cancer twice and still smoke an occasional cigar. Thank goodness healthcare is free!!!

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:22:09 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:
Smoke the Egg and let me know how you are doing in a few hours.

ETA: They are really good smokes

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n619/Ordo6502/2012-11-18_11-11-22_679.jpg

I'm pretty new to cigars. I've smoked them on and off over the years, but never did anything other than just walk into a store and buy a few, usually based on price.

That one looks interesting. Is there any decent online place to buy from? I live a long ways from any type of tobacco shop.

And, I'm thinking one a day or every other day. It's my opinion that smoking at that level wouldn't be a problem. But, I have nothing to base that on.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:23:22 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Smoke the Egg and let me know how you are doing in a few hours.

ETA: They are really good smokes

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n619/Ordo6502/2012-11-18_11-11-22_679.jpg

I'm pretty new to cigars. I've smoked them on and off over the years, but never did anything other than just walk into a store and buy a few, usually based on price.

That one looks interesting. Is there any decent online place to buy from? I live a long ways from any type of tobacco shop.

And, I'm thinking one a day or every other day. It's my opinion that smoking at that level wouldn't be a problem. But, I have nothing to base that on.

Drew Estates makes them. It takes a VERY long time to smoke one.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:24:38 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:
They smaell like ass. yup, I said it. I wash my clothes and shower daily. I hate sitting near some fuckstick with a cigar I don't want to smell like ass.

I used to race karts. One race weekend I practice on saturday. Once I was done I hung up my gear in a tent that I was sharing with some buds. Somebody decided to sit in my fucking chair and practiced sucking cock on his cigar. First session in the morning after a fun saturday night drinking I get my suit down from the tent where I aired it out from sweeting in the 100 degree heat and it STUNK of the cocksmokers ass stick. to make it worse my helmet was on a shelf that this piece of filth must have held his shit underneath it.

If you want to suck on that shit have some fucking class and smoke away from people.

So, Go-kart racers hate cigar smokers. Got it.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:26:06 AM EDT

[#20]

During your workouts? I don't know, hundreds.. It doesn't really work like that.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:27:09 AM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:
How many cigars can I smoke in a week and not see any noticeable effects on my health and fitness?

I will not accept zero as an answer. I understand that not smoking them is healthier than even one, but I'm not worried about being perfect. I'm curious when the effects will become noticeable during my workouts.

I smoke a cigar a day and have so for 15+ years. There are the standard gum cancer/throat cancer warnings, but I'm not too worried about it.

Puffing on a cigar per week should have negligible effects on one's health, would be my guess. I even run and I don't feel any ill effects. Sometimes, if I smoke say...two in a day, my throat will raspy the next morning, much the way it would get if I was at a sporting event yelling my brains out.

Just remember not to inhale and if you want to put the cigar out, just let it sit and go out by itself, don't dip it in water. Also, don't put the partially smoked cigar into a humidor (or Tupperware container) with any new cigars, otherwise they come out smelling like the ash tray.

Chris

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:27:12 AM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Smoke the Egg and let me know how you are doing in a few hours.

ETA: They are really good smokes

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n619/Ordo6502/2012-11-18_11-11-22_679.jpg

I'm pretty new to cigars. I've smoked them on and off over the years, but never did anything other than just walk into a store and buy a few, usually based on price.

That one looks interesting. Is there any decent online place to buy from? I live a long ways from any type of tobacco shop.

And, I'm thinking one a day or every other day. It's my opinion that smoking at that level wouldn't be a problem. But, I have nothing to base that on.

CigarsInternational dot com. it is addictive, but they are well priced, ship quickly and have a great selection.

I'm a cheap bastard, and some of my favorites are:
* la gloria cubana series N
* Cuba Libre
* Oliva series G
* Flor de Oliva ($2 a stick! but lightly flavored)
and anything by 5 vegas is very popular for beginners as they are very mild yet of good quality.

Any of these are vastly superior to most store-bought options, but as with all things your taste will vary (and it will change over time). I am happy with $5/stick choices, but true affictionados will turn their nose at anything under $30 a stick.

Try some samplers (versus boxes of one type) and you will be able to hone down your tastes quickly. Basically, cigars are just like wine or beer: everyone is just a little different so it's hard to be specific on what you'll like, you just have to experiment and see what's out there.

I will add: don't bother smoking while doing other things - you waste the cigar. Think of it like renting a movie, you want to keep your attention on it to properly enjoy (which is why many of us are recreational smokers, it's a reason to take an hour or so for ourselves. The cigar is just the excuse we use).

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:28:25 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:
there's a statistic out there comparing those who smoke cigarette and cigars versus those that don't. obviously cigarette are the worse. but according to the stats your chances of developing cancer compared to those who don't were negligible, except in larynx cancer which was 6 times more likely. giving you smoke 2-3 cigars day though was the lowest category.

Holy fuck.

I'm a big cigar guy, and I can't imagine more than 1 a day regularly. I can barely get one in a week anymore.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:29:14 AM EDT

[#24]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Smoke the Egg and let me know how you are doing in a few hours.

ETA: They are really good smokes

http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n619/Ordo6502/2012-11-18_11-11-22_679.jpg

I'm pretty new to cigars. I've smoked them on and off over the years, but never did anything other than just walk into a store and buy a few, usually based on price.

That one looks interesting. Is there any decent online place to buy from? I live a long ways from any type of tobacco shop.

And, I'm thinking one a day or every other day. It's my opinion that smoking at that level wouldn't be a problem. But, I have nothing to base that on.

CigarsInternational dot com. it is addictive, but they are well priced, ship quickly and have a great selection.

I'm a cheap bastard, and some of my favorites are:
* la gloria cubana series N
* Cuba Libre
* Oliva series G
* Flor de Oliva ($2 a stick! but lightly flavored)
and anything by 5 vegas is very popular for beginners as they are very mild yet of good quality.

Any of these are vastly superior to most store-bought options, but as with all things your taste will vary (and it will change over time). I am happy with $5/stick choices, but true affictionados will turn their nose at anything under $30 a stick.

Try some samplers (versus boxes of one type) and you will be able to hone down your tastes quickly.

Oliva are damn good sticks!

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:30:30 AM EDT

[#25]

Let me know what you like and are looking for. I live a few miles from a fantastic cigar shop. I mean fantastic.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:33:36 AM EDT

[#26]

I have found that I have absolutely no noticeable effects from one or two per day. I have found that is the limit of what I want to smoke. I have occasionally smoked three but that's rare. Cigar International is my favorite online place to shop. The prices are good, shipping is fast and reasonable. I spent just over $800 with them this year and had no issues. I'm planning another order that will take it over 1K for the year. Don't tell my wife...

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:35:00 AM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
How many cigars can I smoke in a week and not see any noticeable effects on my health and fitness?

I will not accept zero as an answer. I understand that not smoking them is healthier than even one, but I'm not worried about being perfect. I'm curious when the effects will become noticeable during my workouts.

It was my secret for cutting weight, cigars totally killed my hunger, but I could still swim a mile with no problem because I never inhaled.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:36:35 AM EDT

[#28]

Most people don't inhale cigars; it's just for the mouthfeel and flavor. I wouldn't think you'd be decreasing your life expectancy to any appreciable degree by smoking a few a week in a well-ventilated space. Have at it and enjoy.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:36:38 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:

I doubt there's a concrete answer. It's gonna effect everyone differently.

First response. All that you can say for sure is that your risk of adverse health effects will increase proportionally with each cigar you smoke per week.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:38:20 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:

Quoted:
They smaell like ass. yup, I said it. I wash my clothes and shower daily. I hate sitting near some fuckstick with a cigar I don't want to smell like ass.

I used to race karts. One race weekend I practice on saturday. Once I was done I hung up my gear in a tent that I was sharing with some buds. Somebody decided to sit in my fucking chair and practiced sucking cock on his cigar. First session in the morning after a fun saturday night drinking I get my suit down from the tent where I aired it out from sweeting in the 100 degree heat and it STUNK of the cocksmokers ass stick. to make it worse my helmet was on a shelf that this piece of filth must have held his shit underneath it.

If you want to suck on that shit have some fucking class and smoke away from people.

So, Go-kart racers hate cigar smokers. Got it.

And they suck at spelling.

ETA: I smoke cigars and pipe in the winter about once a week. I don't notice a decrease in my fitness and I workout twice a day 6 days a week. If you notice a difference knock it back a bit until you find a spot where your body can deal with it better.

OP isn't worried about dying he's worried about his workouts being interfered with.

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:42:07 AM EDT

[#31]

this link says we're all going to get oral cancer and die.

but it's the .gov with only four sources - so take it for what it's worth.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/cigars

This is a more specific study (excluding cigarette smokers who switch) and suggests your risk of death from cancer (relative to the normal population) is around 4-5x more. The average age was 57 for all participants, and of course age is also associated with higher cancer risks in general. It seems that this ratio (4 to 5x that of normals) is the given approximation from my quick google.

Cigars are not "safer" from a toxicity standpoint - but I think it's mostly from the decreased frequency relative to cigarette smokers as stated (plus who knows what kind of chemicals added to cigarettes to improve nicotine absorption).

Around 40,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancers per year, or around 0.01% of the population annually. There is a relatively high rate of death over a 5 year period, due to these cancers often being diagnosed late into the disease. Actual deaths from oral cancers average around 1 per day (365 per year with 300 million people in the US?).

http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/4/333.long
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/

Posted: 11/18/2012 10:52:19 AM EDT

[#32]

Oral cancer...maybe.

I'm assuming you're not inhaling them, like a cigarette.

I can't imagine there would be ANY affect on your workouts.

Posted: 11/18/2012 11:47:12 AM EDT

[#33]

Quoted:
this link says we're all going to get oral cancer and die.

but it's the .gov with only four sources - so take it for what it's worth.

http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Tobacco/cigars

This is a more specific study (excluding cigarette smokers who switch) and suggests your risk of death from cancer (relative to the normal population) is around 4-5x more. The average age was 57 for all participants, and of course age is also associated with higher cancer risks in general. It seems that this ratio (4 to 5x that of normals) is the given approximation from my quick google.

Cigars are not "safer" from a toxicity standpoint - but I think it's mostly from the decreased frequency relative to cigarette smokers as stated (plus who knows what kind of chemicals added to cigarettes to improve nicotine absorption).

Around 40,000 Americans are diagnosed with oral cancers per year, or around 0.01% of the population annually. There is a relatively high rate of death over a 5 year period, due to these cancers often being diagnosed late into the disease. Actual deaths from oral cancers average around 1 per day (365 per year with 300 million people in the US?).

http://jnci.oxfordjournals.org/content/92/4/333.long
http://www.oralcancerfoundation.org/facts/

Those numbers make me think it's not a big deal at all. I'm not discounting the suffering those who deal with it go through. In the bigger scheme of things, .01% doesn't deserve to be worried about.

Posted: 11/18/2012 11:54:54 AM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:
Oral cancer...maybe.

I'm assuming you're not inhaling them, like a cigarette.

I can't imagine there would be ANY affect on your workouts.

It actually helps endurance, until use becomes chronic and you trash your lungs.

Mündel, T. and Jones, D. A. (2006). "Effect of transdermal nicotine administration on exercise endurance in men". Exp Physiol 91 (4): 705–713. doi:10.1113/expphysiol.2006.033373. PMID 16627574.

Posted: 11/18/2012 11:56:16 AM EDT

[#35]

One a day keeps the doctor away.

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:03:32 PM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:
How many cigars can I smoke in a week and not see any noticeable effects on my health and fitness?

I will not accept zero as an answer. I understand that not smoking them is healthier than even one, but I'm not worried about being perfect. I'm curious when the effects will become noticeable during my workouts.

Gonna die sometime. Enjoy a cigar once in awhile.

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:07:07 PM EDT

[#37]

I smoke half to 3/4 of a pack of camel menthol cigarettes every day... i can, and do, run 6 miles in 54 minutes without stopping or walking.

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:18:02 PM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:
Holy fuck.

I'm a big cigar guy, and I can't imagine more than 1 a day regularly. I can barely get one in a week anymore.

Of I could smoke at work, there are days I could do 2 or 3. I hate those days.

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:29:45 PM EDT

[#39]

People don't inhale

What is this faggotry?

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:30:59 PM EDT

[#40]

You don't inhale cigar smoke.

Derp.

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:33:44 PM EDT

[#41]

Quoted:

They smaell like ass. yup, I said it. I wash my clothes and shower daily. I hate sitting near some fuckstick with a cigar I don't want to smell like ass.

I used to race karts. One race weekend I practice on saturday. Once I was done I hung up my gear in a tent that I was sharing with some buds. Somebody decided to sit in my fucking chair and practiced sucking cock on his cigar. First session in the morning after a fun saturday night drinking I get my suit down from the tent where I aired it out from sweeting in the 100 degree heat and it STUNK of the cocksmokers ass stick. to make it worse my helmet was on a shelf that this piece of filth must have held his shit underneath it.
If you want to suck on that shit have some fucking class and smoke away from people.

How about you just stay in mom's basement?

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:35:11 PM EDT

[#42]

Quoted:
People don't inhale

What is this faggotry?

People that do inhale fall into one of two stereotypes:

or

99% do not fall into the latter.

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:37:11 PM EDT

[#43]

There is actually one, and only one, correct answer to this question.

And I'm not telling.

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:38:58 PM EDT

[#44]

Smoke Cubans, no pesticides! But watch out for the Beatles, they'll ruin a humidor in a hurry.

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:46:56 PM EDT

[#45]

Quoted:
Smoke Cubans, no pesticides! But watch out for the Beatles, they'll ruin a humidor in a hurry.

Well, maybe Lennon would. But he's dead.

Posted: 11/18/2012 1:53:03 PM EDT

[#46]

Don't inhale.

My grandfather has smoked a pack of Camel reds every day since he was 13. It started to affect him quite a bit in his sixties. Now that he's 87 (seriously) he's on a nebulizer, inhaler, oxygen, and enough pills to call it a big breakfast. Enfisema. But you have to die eventually anyway. It's just a bummer he wasted the last twenty years of his life as a result of smoking cigs. I doubt he'll make it another year.

I enjoy a cigar when with buddies or on vacation. I don't smoke often, and I don't inhale. Usually trying something new, but I have a few favorites.

Posted: 11/18/2012 2:06:37 PM EDT

[#47]

Quoted:
How many cigars can I smoke in a week and not see any noticeable effects on my health and fitness?

I will not accept zero as an answer. I understand that not smoking them is healthier than even one, but I'm not worried about being perfect. I'm curious when the effects will become noticeable during my workouts.

I will preface this by saying that I smoke tobacco in a variety of ways regularly. Zero is likely the accurate answer. It is rough stuff on your body. If you combine it with alcohol its even worse too. I wouldn't plan on smoking with no noticeable effect.

Posted: 11/18/2012 2:16:18 PM EDT

[#48]

Quoted:

On deployment last year I was smoking about one every five or six days. After a couple months I noticed an unsolicited cough. That was enough of that.

Gonna go with this one, while I rarely smoke cigars I have been know to hit the doobie or 2 at the local MX track after races. While I don't blame the plant, I blame the burnt plant and yes.... Smoking a cigar or doobie, both give me the nasal drainage and draining that follows for the next week!
More so the real reason to stay away from both......! Lung issues!

ETA Next replaces now...