Smoking even occasionally causes the same risks of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia as daily cigarette smoking, according to the results of a study published in the medical journal American Journal of Health Promotion.
Researchers at Ohio State University in the United States conducted a study with 39,555 people to understand the health risks of social smoking. 10% of participants said they did not smoke every day.
In small amounts, tobacco increases the risk of cardiovascular disease
The study results showed that 75% of them had high blood pressure and about 54% had high cholesterol.
The arterial pressure and the bad cholesterol and both contribute significantly to cardiovascular illnessesthe leading cause of death worldwide.
“These are striking results and they have real significance for clinical practice and for the health of the population,” said study author Bernadette Melnyk. Physicians and health professionals should strive to identify social smokers and offer them tips and tools to quit smoking.
The good news reminds the researcher is that these effects are reversible. Indeed, “simple and healthy behavioral changes in lifestyle, including proper aspirin therapy, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, stress management, and most importantly, smoking cessation can eliminate much of the risk of chronic disease,” she concludes.
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