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"Tons of studies have shown how cigarettes harm our health in the long run, increasing our chances for various kinds of cancer, heart disease, infertility, vascular disease, among other critical illnesses. And now new research has discovered that the damage starts fast. Very fast.A new study, published in Chemical Research and Toxicology, shows that the chemicals that cause cancer begin to form just minutes after you smoke a cigarette. Researchers measured the level of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, chemicals that are linked to cancer, in participants after they smoked a cigarette. They found that the participants&amp;#x27; bodies then converted the chemicals into other chemicals that damage DNA and are linked with cancer. The whole process took about 15 to 30 minutes--not days, weeks, years. Minutes. Do you smoke--even once in a while? When did you have your first cigarette? Why did you stop--or do you want to? More on smoking: * Health Controversy: The Country Where Smoking Is Illegal--Even In Your Home * Why Your Pal&amp;#x27;s Smoking Habit Could Up Your Risk for Breast Cancer * More Proof That Cigarettes Are Evil: They Mess With Your Mental Health More Ways to Get Glamour Visit Shopglamour.com for cute stuff starting at just $10! Enter the latest Glamour sweepstakes! Follow us on Twitter Add us to your iGoogle homepage Photo: Thinkstock"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/health-fitness/blogs/vitamin-g/2011/02/how-quickly-does-smoking-cause>