Cigarettes are no longer in Germany, as popular as they once were – but still, every fourth man and every fifth woman Smoking. Per year, about 121,000 people die in this country from the effects of Smoking, reported: recently, the German cancer research center (DKFZ). That’s the equivalent of 13.5 percent of all deaths.
The majority of smokers tried at some point, the cigarette to wean. Sometimes the goal is to reduce the daily amount, in the hope that one, two or maybe even five cigarettes per day do hardly any damage.
A in the journal “BMJ” published a study shows, however, that cigarettes are no longer a minor, no safe amount. People who smoke only one cigarette per day, have already a considerably higher risk to develop a dangerous coronary heart disease (CHD) or stroke. In the case of a CHD, the blood vessels that supply the heart, narrowed or partly closed, which can result in a heart attack.
A Team led by Allan Hackshaw, from University College London analysed data from 141 studies that have been conducted in the past decades, and with the relationship between Smoking and heart diseases in workers. So you were able to bring together information about several millions of study participants.
Who paid for it?
The study was funded by the private Foundation and Cancer Research UK.
Men, Smoking a cigarette, not smokers, therefore, already a 48 percent increased risk for CHD, as well as a 45 percent increased risk of stroke compared to male. For women, the risk of CHD increases with a daily cigarette to 57 percent and of stroke by 65 percent compared to non-smokers.
The researchers compared the risk of low-smokers to that of smokers, one box (20 cigarettes) a day consumed. This showed that a cigarette does far more damage than a twentieth of the damage of a daily pack. It is, instead, for a third to half of the increased risk of daily cigarette box responsible.
How big is the risk for the Individual?
What it means specifically, if the risk for coronary heart disease for smokers with a daily cigarette to 45 percent (men) or 57% (women) increase compared to non-smokers?
It depends on the risk of the Individual, which is influenced inter alia by age, blood pressure, blood fat levels, Diabetes, and gender. An example on the basis of a well-known risk calculator for CHD: A 50-year-old non-Smoking with average health would therefore have a risk of about 14 percent to develop in the following ten years, CHD. He would smoke a cigarette, it would be, however, at 20 percent. In the case of a same age woman, the risk would rise accordingly, from eight to twelve percent.
“In terms of cardiovascular disease, there is no safe amount of cigarettes. Smokers should stop, rather than reduce the quantity,” writes Kenneth Johnson of the University of Ottawa, Canada, in an accompanying comment in the “BMJ”.
Cancer and COPD: Why 20 cigarettes are still much more harmful than a
The results do not mean in reverse that it doesn’t matter whether you smoke five or 20 cigarettes, and, therefore, unconcerned by the Little – again, for a Lot of smokers.
Because Smoking increases disease risk for cardiovascular, but also can cause cancer and serious lung disease COPD. And here are 20 cigarettes daily are significantly more harmful than a or five.
And what is with E-cigarettes?
Because many smokers don’t get addiction, despite repeated calls from the Nicotine, are E discussed-cigarettes as a possible Alternative. After all, various pollutants resulting from the Burning of conventional cigarettes, E-cigarettes. So far, researchers have, however, are divided on how to assess the products. This is also reflected in the current publication.
“Even if E-cigarettes are less carcinogenic substances, users of large quantities of very small fine dust particles and other toxins that increase the risk of cardiovascular disease significantly,” writes Johnson in the “BMJ”-comment. The products were not safe and should not be recommended, is his conclusion.
Hackshaw and his colleagues argue, however, that E-cigarettes can help smokers Quit. You think it is very unlikely that the products are just as harmful as the smoke from one, two ordinary cigarettes per day.