Reasons to Stop Smoking in 2012

 Sure it’s hard to stop smoking, but it's worth the effort to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) and related health problems. You may realize that smoking puts you at high risk for CHD and a future heart attack. But did you know that smoking cessation is the most important lifestyle change you can make to reduce your risk for CHD?
You may also be surprised to know that heart attack risk is greatest among younger smokers. In one study, compared to non-smokers, the rate of heart attacks was increased five-fold in smokers between ages 30 and 49. This compared to smokers between the ages of 50 and 59, who had about a three-fold higher increased risk than non-smokers. Also important to know, the overall risk for heart attack is about 25 percent greater among women smokers than among men smokers.  
Let's take a closer look at the health risks that smokers face.

Other Risks of Cigarette Smoking

Smoking also raises the risk of stroke and peripheral vascular disease.  And, of course, smoking is the greatest risk for lung cancer and chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD), which both rank among the leading causes of death in this country. All of these risks are greater with an increased  number of cigarettes smoked daily and the number of smoking years.
Yet, even if you have smoked for many years, its ill effects on cardiovascular disease slowly wane and disappear about five years after stopping. Unfortunately, the higher risks for both lung cancer and COPD persist even after smoking cessation.

Cigar and Pipe Smoking and Passive Smoke

Although cigarettes are the greatest culprit, both cigar and pipe smoking somewhat increase the danger of a heart attack. In addition you will have to avoid smoke filled rooms because inhalation of such smoke (passive smoking) also raises the risk of CHD.

Smoking Cessation Advantages 

There’s still much dispute on the best diet and how much you need to exercise in order to keep your cardiovascular system healthy, but there is no doubt about how valuable it is to stop smoking. Smoking abstinence also differs from the lifelong need to take medications for elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, and diabetes—the other major risk factors for coronary artery disease and heart attacks. 

How Cigarettes Cause Heart Attacks

Smoking exerts its dangers both by speeding the development of plaques within the arteries and by triggering heart attacks. Smoking:

• Promotes atherosclerosis, or narrowing of the arteries, by increasing inflammation and by lowering protective HDL cholesterol levels
• Triggers heart attacks by rapidly raising heart rate and blood pressure and increases the grouping of blood platelets that leads to blood clots 

Help Your Family as Well as Yourself

Smoking in your house or car exposes your children and other family members to passive smoking.  Make every effort to prevent your children from starting to smoke, but that may be more difficult if they know that you are a regular smoker. Visit the American Heart Association to learn about resources and information available to help you quit smoking.

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