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Possibly one of the best ways to help insure heart health is to stop smoking and to limit secondhand smoke intake. Smokers are two to three times more likely to develop heart disease than non-smokers, and there are many negative effects of smoking on the heart and other organs essential to your well-being. Statistics regarding smoking’s negative effects on heart health are irrefutable and staggering.
One in four smoking-related deaths come about from heart disease. Coronary heart disease is a condition that is caused by diminished blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart. Cigarette smoking is one of the most important non-hereditary risks that lead to coronary heart disease. Smokers are two to three times more likely to die of a heart attack than non-smokers, and if high cholesterol and high blood pressure are also factors, this risk of heart attack can increase to eight times more likely. Light smokers are still at risk for heart damage, as studies show that smoking one to four cigarettes per day still have negative effects on heart health.
Cigarette smoke causes several negative responses in the heart. It causes the heart rate to rise, immediately raises blood pressure, and cause the blood vessels to contract. This makes the heart work harder to deliver oxygen to the body. Carbon monoxide also reduces the blood’s ability to carry oxygen. Smoking also contributes to development of arterial disease by increasing blood cholesterol levels. It increases chances for blood clotting by increasing formation of platelets, making the blood more sticky. It also reduces the amount of oxygen available to tissue.
Smokers are also more likely to have strokes than non-smokers. Eleven percent of all stroke deaths are related to smoking, and heavy smokers have two to four times greater risk of suffering a stroke.
Secondhand smoke can also contribute to heart disease. Thirty minutes of exposure to secondhand smoke can significantly impact coronary blood flow, and can also increase risk of stroke.
Studies show that quitting smoking can significantly improve heart health. Blood clots become less likely, and the heart can immediately pump more blood with less effort. Within five years of quitting, the risk of heart disease is almost reduced to that of a non-smoker. Thus, it is never to late to give up smoking, as there are immediate benefits to healthy heart functioning by doing so. Possibly the single most effective way to reduce risk to one’s heart is to stop smoking immediately, as the benefits are proven and irrefutable.
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