Just One Cigarette Makes the Heart Work Harder

While social smokers, who claim to enjoy a cigarette on occasion, may believe themselves to be free from the dangers that face the true nicotine addict, it now appears that just one cigarette is all that is necessary to adversely affect the circulatory system.

Smoking Stiffens Arteries

A recent study conducted by the McGill University Health Center in Canada examined the effect of smoking on arterial stiffness, which is an important factor in determining how hard a heart must work to perform its basic functionality.

Researchers led by Dr. Stella Daskalopoulou studied the effects of smoking on people between the ages of 18 and 30 and discovered some shocking results, likely to be of concern to even the least active social smoker. The survey examined the arterial stiffness of both smokers and non-smokers while at rest and after exercise. While non-smokers’ arteries responded well to physical exertion – demonstrating a noticeable drop in arterial stiffness after even a small amount of exercise – the smokers’ vessels became 2.2 percent stiffer with exercise, 12.6 percent stiffer after chewing a piece of nicotine gum and 24 percent stiffer after smoking only one cigarette.

The results are alarming because stiffened arteries force the heart to work harder and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Hearts Working Harder

Dr. Daskalopoulou noted that her team’s research indicated that arterial damage, compromising the body’s ability to respond to physical exertion, was likely the first damage inflicted when an individual begins his or her smoking habit. She added that the oxygen circulation of the smoker was not only compromised while indulging in this addiction, but that lingering effects continued to impact their system.

Young Smokers’ Systems Compromised

Dr. Daskalopoulou stated, “In effect, this means that even light smoking in otherwise healthy young people can damage the arteries, compromising the ability of their bodies to cope with physical stress, such as climbing a set of stairs or running to catch a bus. It seems that this compromised ability to respond to physical stress occurs first, before the damage of the arteries becomes evident at rest.”

Anti-smoking campaigners will not be surprised by the revelation. Pursuant to Heart and Stroke Federation spokeswoman, Dr. Beth Abramson, the study served only to reiterate the importance of the long-standing efforts to alert individuals to the very real dangers of smoking.

Protection Against Smoke Damage

While time and money will continue to be poured into efforts to prevent new smokers from starting down the path to compromised circulation, established smokers may be asking what they can do to reverse the damage.

Most important is of course to case smoking completely, and while the preparation and process may take some time, holistic practitioners recommend augmenting the diet with supplements such as vitamin C, and the antioxidant grape seed oil which can help equip the body to fight against the ravages wrought by smoking.

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Is it Possible to Counteract the Risks of Smoking?

Smoking is hazardous to one’s health. Smoking causes cancer. Smoking harms unborn babies. Second-hand smoke poses an increasing number of health-related risks. These are the warnings printed on the packaging of tobacco products in some countries across the world today. And yet, despite these dire warnings, some of which are accompanied by graphic pictures of diseased lungs and cancerous tongues, many individuals continue their smoking habit, or worse, begin to smoke, despite the research, in the 21^st century.

The highly addictive nature of nicotine is widely recognized, and eliminating this addiction is an arduous task requiring a strong will and great determination, albeit there are alternative techniques, such as acupuncture, NLP, and hypnotherapy that have proven successful for some individuals. Irrespective of the alternatives for cessation of smoking, the fact is that smoking is once again rising as a habit across a wide spectrum of individuals, of varying ages and socioeconomic status.

Smoking on the Rise

Estimates approximate that 1,000 individuals begin the nicotine habit each day in America. This figure accounts for a one percent rise in the number of smokers in the country in 2008, when health officials were celebrating an all time low in the smoking rate for the US. The figures make for depressing reading, particularly for health professionals and anti-smoking campaigners, who have worked tirelessly over the past 50 years to reduce the number of smoking related illnesses and deaths in countries throughout the world.

Fighting Smoking Related Illness

While the first generations to die of cigarette related cancers could not have known what fate their habit might bring, the same cannot be said for the smokers of today, which makes the decision to start or continue smoking even more incomprehensible. And while work to address the numbers of smokers will continue, some have begun to question what can be done by way of damage mitigation for those who insist upon continuing this unhealthy habit.

Supplements for Smokers

Some holistic practitioners have begun to suggest that perhaps health levels amongst smokers might be improved by education on counteracting the damaging effects of the chemicals contained in cigarette smoke, which toxins have been shown to correlate with diseases such as lung, bladder and bowel cancer, as well as an array of cardiovascular diseases.

One school of thought is that supplements should be introduced to the diet to balance the chemical intake caused by smoking. While nearly every individual would benefit from a premium multivitamin supplement, smokers may wish to consider additional supplements tailored to meet the specific needs of their weakened immune systems.

A vitamin C supplement is an excellent addition to the smoker’s regime as this nutrient is quickly depleted by nicotine in the blood stream. Other recommended dietary supplements for smokers include CoQ10 – an enzyme with antioxidant properties currently undergoing scientific testing as a possible weapon in the fight against cancers – and grape seed extract, which contains antioxidants useful in the prevention of heart disease.

Smokers Should Protect Themselves

While the best defense against smoking related illness is cease the habit entirely, smokers who find this difficult should explore alternative techniques while paying enhanced attention to their nutritional needs, supplementing their diet with vitamins and antioxidants where possible to provide the best possibility of resisting cigarette related damage.

We strongly recommend Bionx Multivitamin/Mineral Complex, to mitigate smoking related damage.