Even Limited Smoking Dramatically Raises Heart Attack, Death Risk, New Study Finds
Baltimore,โฃ MD – Consuming even a small number of cigarettes daily – as few as two – significantlyโฃ elevatesโฃ the risk ofโ heart attackโข and overall mortality,โค according to research published in PLOS Medicine. The findings, based โon analysis of nearly two โdozen long-term studies, challenge the notion of a “safe” level of cigarette consumption.
An international research group, ledโข by Michael J. Blaha, a professor of cardiologyโค and epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center, evaluated data from over 300,000 participants in the USA and โBrazil.Participants were observed for an average of 15 years regardingโ heart attack risk and approximately 20 years concerning mortality.
The study revealed that individuals smoking โtwo to five cigarettes a day faced a 50% higher risk of heart attack and a 60% increased probability of death from any โcause compared โฃto non-smokers. Risks escalated with increasedโ consumption; smoking more than 20 cigarettes daily was linked to an 84%โฃ higher riskโฃ of heartโ disease and a threefold increase in โmortality. โฃEven smoking one or fewer cigarettesโฃ per day โขwas associated with increasedโข risk of most heart diseases and causes โคof death โขexamined.
Researchers also investigated the impactโฃ of smoking cessation, finding the most considerable โขbenefitsโค within the first ten years after quitting. Though, even after 30 years, former smokers exhibited โฃa higher risk than those who had never smoked.
“Even we were surprised at โhow harmful even small amounts ofโ cigarettes are,” stated Blaha. “the results suggest that โno level of smoking is without risk.” The researchers recommend complete smoking cessation rather than reduction.
https://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1004561
