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Cigarette Smoking and its Link to Heart Disease
The Surgeon General has called cigarette smoking
"the most important of the known modifiable risk factors for coronary heart
disease in the United States."
Why?
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Smoking greatly increases the risk for developing
coronary heart disease.
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Smokers tend to have lower levels of HDL (the good
kind of cholesterol).
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Smokers tend to have higher levels of LDL (the bad
kind of cholesterol).
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Smoking raises the blood pressure.
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Smoking is to blame for about 430,700 preventable
deaths in the United States each year.
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Every year, secondhand smoke is estimated to kill
as many as 40,000 nonsmokers who breath other people's smoke.
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Cigarette smoking can also cause cancer, strokes,
and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
It is not easy to quit smoking. If you don't smoke,
don't start. If you do smoke, it's important to quit. Ask your physician
about programs and medications that can help you to quit, for good. A link
to an online resource for smoking cessation can be found in the
Resource section
of this program.
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How to Have a Healthy
Heart
Take this preliminary
to see if your cardiovascular system condition could respond to nutritional
therapy.
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