A major review of long-term health data has revealed that even smoking just a few cigarettes a day can seriously increase your risk of heart disease and early death.
The new findings come from researchers at Johns Hopkins University in the United States and were published in the journal PLOS Medicine.
Smoking has long been linked to heart problems and other serious health conditions, but this study focused on people who consider themselves “light smokers” — those who smoke only a small number of cigarettes each day.
As more people today smoke fewer cigarettes than in the past, it’s important to understand how even low levels of smoking affect long-term health.
The researchers looked at data from 22 different long-term studies that followed more than 300,000 adults for up to 20 years. Over that time, 125,000 participants died and 54,000 experienced heart problems like heart attacks, strokes, or heart failure.
The results were clear: smoking just two to five cigarettes per day raised the risk of heart failure by 50 percent and the risk of dying from any cause by 60 percent, compared to people who never smoked.
Even after people quit smoking, the risk didn’t return to normal right away. While the risk dropped the most during the first 10 years after quitting, it still remained higher than for those who never smoked — even 30 years later.
This means that smoking fewer cigarettes isn’t enough to protect your health. Cutting back helps, but the best way to lower your risk of heart disease and early death is to quit smoking entirely — and to do it as early in life as possible.
Lead researcher Dr. Michael Blaha, from the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, said the study is one of the largest of its kind. He added that it’s striking how damaging smoking can be, even at low levels. The earlier someone stops smoking completely, the more likely they are to avoid serious health problems later in life.
The study also supports existing public health advice: if you smoke, quit completely. Reducing the number of cigarettes you smoke each day doesn’t offer the same level of protection. Quitting early is key to protecting your heart and overall health.
In summary, this large study shows that even light smoking can be dangerous. The damage builds up over time, and the risk of serious illness stays high for years. The best step you can take is to stop smoking completely — as soon as possible.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
The study is published in PLOS Medicine.
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