| In the United States smoking kills approximately more | | | | heart disease becomes a greater risk for cigarette |
| than 400,000 people every year. Of that large number | | | | smokers when it is combined with other health factors, |
| around 30-40 percent are deaths in relation to heart | | | | it increases the risks. It lowers the good cholesterol, |
| diseases. With so much effort put forth to anti-smoking | | | | increases blood pressure, chances of blood clots |
| campaigns there are still a very large number of | | | | become higher and the chances to have a stroke are |
| people who continue smoke. | | | | doubled. If such health related issues have been seen |
| Top ways smoking hurts your heart:o Smoking causes | | | | in the past with family members, the chances of |
| your heart to run in overdrive. When the toxin enters | | | | related issues increase significantly by large numbers. |
| the bloodstream your heart is deprived of oxygen. | | | | The Same Effect on Passive Smokers: |
| When this happens, it has to work twice as hard to | | | | Second hand smoking, also known as passive smoking |
| supply blood to the rest of the body.o The blood | | | | has also shown to cause heart disease through |
| vessels become constricted. This causes the blood | | | | smokers. Exercise endurance, blood vessel walls and |
| pressure to increase. The nicotine in cigarettes is what | | | | clots are all shown to have the same effect on |
| causes this to take place. This will also lead to | | | | passive smokers. It may seem that the effects are |
| increased heart rates.o Arteries start to harden and | | | | small, but the overall damage caused by second hand |
| become clogged. This also circles back to oxygen | | | | smoking takes its toll on the body and has caused lung |
| deprivation of the heart. If this process is taken place | | | | cancer, coronary heart disease, as well as |
| over time this can lead to heart failure.o A greater risk | | | | cardiovascular heart disease deaths in the United |
| for coronary heart disease is present in those people | | | | States every year. |
| of 50 years or younger who are smokers. Coronary | | | | |