Smoking is a major cause of heart and blood vessel disease, and it kills many thousands of people every year.
How smoking damages the heart#
The coronary arteries supply the heart with oxygen and nutrients. Over time, fatty deposits (plaque) can build up inside them, reducing blood flow to the heart and increasing the risk of a heart attack. Smoking speeds up this clogging and narrowing of the coronary arteries.
If blood flow is cut off, the heart muscle is starved of oxygen and nutrients and begins to die. The severity of a heart attack depends on how much heart muscle is permanently damaged.
Smoking also damages other blood vessels#
When the arteries supplying the arms and legs are affected, the result is peripheral arterial disease, which reduces circulation. It can lead to blood clots, gangrene and even amputation.
What is in tobacco smoke#
Tobacco smoke contains thousands of chemicals, including:
- Nicotine – an addictive drug that affects the brain and muscles and raises your blood pressure, making your heart work harder.
- Carbon monoxide – a poisonous gas that replaces oxygen in your blood, reducing the supply of oxygen to your heart and other organs.
- Tar – a sticky substance that coats the lungs like soot in a chimney, making it harder to breathe. Tar contains dozens of chemicals that cause cancer.
The risks of smoking#
If you smoke, your risk of serious disease is much higher. Compared with someone who does not smoke:
- your risk of a heart attack is more than twice as high
- your risk of stroke is more than twice as high
- your risk of peripheral arterial disease, which can lead to gangrene, is more than five times as high
The risk of coronary heart disease is further increased for women who smoke while using the oral contraceptive pill.
Second-hand smoke is a health hazard#
Breathing in other people’s smoke (passive smoking) is a serious health hazard for both smokers and non-smokers. Non-smokers who live with someone who smokes have about a 30 per cent higher risk of heart disease.
Second-hand smoke is especially risky for babies and children. It increases the risk of sudden unexpected death in infancy (SUDI), as well as bronchitis, pneumonia and asthma.
Quit smoking and improve your health#
The benefits of quitting begin quickly and keep growing:
- Within a day: your heart rate slows, your blood pressure becomes more stable, carbon monoxide levels in your blood drop, and oxygen reaches your heart and the rest of your body more easily.
- Within a few days: your sense of smell and taste improves.
- Within weeks to months: your lungs start to clean themselves, so you can cough up mucus, and blood flow to your hands and feet improves so they do not get so cold.
- Within months: your lungs are healthier and you can breathe more easily, and you save a significant amount of money.
- Within a few years: your risk of a heart attack or stroke drops significantly compared with continuing to smoke, and it keeps falling over time.
Key points#
- Smoking is a major cause of heart and blood vessel disease.
- It narrows the coronary arteries and reduces blood flow to the heart, raising the risk of a heart attack.
- Tar in tobacco smoke contains dozens of cancer-causing chemicals.
- Second-hand smoke harms adults and children; living with a smoker raises heart disease risk by about 30 per cent.
- Quitting brings health benefits within days, and the risk of heart attack and stroke keeps falling over time.
Where to get help#
Sources & further reading
For evidence-based global guidance on this topic, consult authoritative public-health bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO), CDC, NHS, and ECDC.