Prof. Dr. İbrahim Öztek, Head of the Department of Medical Pathology at Üsküdar University, who conducts research on the relationship between smoking and lung cancer, stated that the genetics of plants in tobacco fields are being altered, adding, “The amount of tobacco obtained is increasing, but as a result, the Turkish generation will become infertile after one generation.”
A conference titled ‘The Relationship Between Smoking and Lung Cancer’ was held at Üsküdar University Çarşı Campus. Prof. Dr. İbrahim Öztek, Head of the Department of Medical Pathology at Üsküdar University, participated in the conference as a speaker and provided students with information about the harms of smoking and their research. Following the conference, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Öztek made statements to İhlas News Agency (İHA), saying, “We explained to our students that smoking is, first and foremost, the number one cause of cancer, and also the number one cause of cardiovascular disease. He added that the money spent on cigarettes could build several Çanakkale Bridges, one nuclear power plant, and several airports. We lose 100 billion dollars from our pockets due to the money we pay for cigarettes. This is a terrible expense, and all evils begin with this habit.”
The rate of primary school students smoking is increasing
Öztek provided information about their research on the harms of smoking, stating, “We have conducted research in 2005, 2008, and 2017. According to this, while 14 percent of high school students smoked in 2007, this figure increased slightly in 2010. By 2015, this rate rose to 25 percent among high school, middle school, and even primary school students. Drug use is also added to this; it is the greatest disaster of our century. Smoking is at the forefront of all these, why? Smoking causes chemical reactions in the human brain. Autopsy examinations of smokers and non-smokers have shown that smokers experience significant damage to their brains, their brains shrink, and Alzheimer's disease appears earlier in such individuals. In our research conducted in the 1990s, the ratio of men to women was 8 to 1. Now, the ratio has dropped to 3 to 1. Our women have also started smoking. As industry progresses, because we inhale the smoke spewing from factory chimneys, asbestos significantly increases in smokers.”
“The Turkish generation will become infertile after one generation”
Emphasizing that the genetics of plants are being manipulated in tobacco fields, Öztek stated:
“Our tobacco fields used to be cultivated by our nation; the tobacco grown was called Turkish tobacco or Oriental tobacco. This tobacco was not heavily sprayed. Today, 87 percent of our tobacco fields have fallen into foreign hands. While our Turkish tobacco used to be knee-high, now people get lost in current tobacco fields. The genetics of this plant are being altered in the form of genetically modified organisms, resulting in enormous leaves. The amount of tobacco obtained is increasing, but as a result, the Turkish generation will become infertile after one generation. Developed countries send cigarettes in the most harmful form to deplete the generations of underdeveloped countries or process their tobacco to that state.”
“Young people must stay away from cigarettes and hookahs”
Prof. Dr. İbrahim Öztek also stated that while exercise reduces the risk, it is not a solution, saying, “Nothing prevents the harm of smoking. We inhale it into our lungs. It also goes to the stomach, pancreas via saliva, and to the bladder via the bloodstream. It causes blood cancers. You exercise a lot, filling your lungs with oxygen, but it's not enough. Because the smoke that reaches the air sacs affects the cells in the air sacs. They mutate, lose their special structure, and start becoming cancerous. If we have embarked on the path to cancer, there is nothing to prevent it. A smoker might say, ‘I exercise a lot,’ perhaps because they exercise a lot, they smoke less; the reduced amount of smoking might also slightly decrease their risk. That's all. Hookah has tobacco, but what is put inside is unknown. It is equivalent to forty cigarettes. Hundreds of bacteria in the pipes, which we call hookah hoses, do not die no matter how much they are sterilized. Electronic cigarettes have emerged; there are those who say, ‘This is harmless; I will quit smoking by using this.’ It explodes, the person’s face and eyes get burned, their house burns down. Our youth must stay away from all of these.”
“Pomegranate and orange have a very strong anti-carcinogenic effect”
Öztek concluded his remarks by calling on citizens to consume fruits that strengthen the immune system and have an anti-cancer effect:
“There are certain fruits we call antioxidants: melon, watermelon, orange, tangerine. Especially black grapes are recommended to people as medicine. You should eat its seeds. In pharmacies, black grape seeds are pulverized and sold as a medicine to strengthen the immune system. If fruits like pomegranate and orange are squeezed and drunk in a glass in the morning, they have a very strong anti-carcinogenic effect on people. Eating smoked meat over fire is directly carcinogenic food. Grilled meatballs and barbecue parties cooked over fire are also not very suitable. They create a carcinogenic effect on the meat.”