The new study analyzed data from 22 studies involving more than 330,000 people over nearly 20 years. The team, led by Dr. Michael Blaha, documented more than 125,000 deaths and 54,000 cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure.
Heart failure, caused by weakening or hardening of the heart muscle, results in the heart's inability to pump blood sufficiently to supply organs and tissues with oxygen and vital nutrients.
The results showed that smoking, even in low amounts, between two and five cigarettes a day, is associated with a 50% higher risk of heart failure and a 60% higher risk of death from any cause compared to those who have never smoked.
According to the study, the risk of cardiovascular disease decreases significantly during the first decade after quitting smoking, but even thirty years after the last cigarette, former smokers remain more susceptible to these diseases than those who have never smoked.
Blaha stressed that the results confirm that "the earlier you quit, the better," and that the only way to reduce health risks is to quit smoking completely, not just reduce the number of cigarettes smoked.
It is worth noting that tobacco contains approximately 7,000 chemicals, including tar, that damage blood vessels and the heart, which explains the significant risks associated even with low-intensity smoking.
The study was published in the journal PLOS Medicine.
