Position of the Surgeon General
Along with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of heart disease in America. According to the Surgeon General, cigarette smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body, reduces the average lifespan by over 13 years and is responsible for over $82 billion in lost productivity. "There is no safe cigarette, whether it is called 'light,' ultra-light,' or any other name," says 2004 U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. "The science is clear: the only way to avoid the health hazards of smoking is to quit completely or to never start smoking."
Smoking Affect on Blood Lipids
Cigarette smoking (including second-hand or passive smoking) increases smokers' risk for heart disease by increasing low density lipoproteins (the bad type of cholesterol), lowering high density lipoproteins (the good type of cholesterol) and directly contributes to the accumulation of cholesterol on the inside of the coronary arteries. The good news is that people who quit smoking experience dramatic improvements in their blood lipids, reducing their risk for heart disease.
Cigarette Smoke and the Coronary Arteries
The heart receives its blood supply from two coronary arteries--the left and right coronary arteries. Cigarette smoking contributes to atherosclerosis, a disease that results in the partial or total occlusion of the coronary arteries. The carbon monoxide and chemicals in cigarette smoke damage the delicate endothelial lining of the arteries. As a form of damage control, the body sends platelets to the injury site, causing blood clotting. At the same time, cholesterol circulating in the blood accumulates on the arterial lining. Together, the two factors slowly reduce the inside diameter of the arteries, eventually leading to total occlusion and a heart attack.
