Heart Health – How to have a healthy heart – Part 2 – Quit Smoking

Hi!  Welcome to Part 2 in this series on Heart Health!  In the last post, I talked about why exercise is so important in preventing heart disease.  Today, I want to discuss another way to have a healthy heart.

One way to do that is by quitting smoking.  I have to admit, that recently, when a friend of mine started smoking again after having quit for five years, I was disappointed.  It’s not that I think that he  is a bad person for smoking (my own dad smoked for many years before finally quitting 16 years ago), but it’s that I’m concerned about his health.  He is overweight and doesn’t exercise, and adding smoking on top of it all, is not good for his heart.  Having seen my dad struggle with quitting for many years before he finally succeeded, I know that it is not easy.  So, I’m not going to get on my soapbox, and make you feel bad if you are a smoker.   You already know that it is not good for you.  I just want to give you some information to think about that may persuade you to do what is best for your heart, and the hearts of those loved ones who are around you when you smoke.

Cigarette smoke contains so many chemicals in it that are harmful to your heart and your arteries.  Two of these chemicals are nicotine and carbon monoxide.  These two chemicals, alone, can result in the progression of the development of atherosclerosis, which is the development of plaque build-up in your arteries.  When this occurs in your coronary arteries, it can result in a heart attack.  Imagine what all the other hundreds of chemicals in cigarette smoke are doing (things like ammonia and formaldehyde)!

When it comes to your heart health, nicotine causes your blood pressure to increase, because it causes your blood vessels to constrict.  As well, nicotine results in an increase in your heart rate.  This all results in making your heart work harder to do its job.

The carbon monoxide found in cigarette smoke also makes your heart work harder, because it takes the place of some of the oxygen that your blood carries to your body.  In other words, your blood is now carrying oxygen and carbon monoxide instead of just oxygen.  So in order for your body parts to get the required amounts of oxygen, it forces your heart to work harder to deliver the needed oxygen.

And don’t think that if you are the smoker, that you are the only one who is affected.  Second-hand smoke is dangerous too, as the chemicals get into the bodies of those who are breathing in the smoke.  As a result, your loved ones are also put at increased risk of developing heart disease even if they are not smokers.

Don’t despair or think that it’s too late if you have been smoking for many years.  Your risk of heart disease will be reduced quite significantly within a year of quitting!  So keep trying.  And for those who are thinking of starting to smoke, do your heart a favor and stay away from cigarettes.   Your heart will thank you by giving you many more healthy years of life.

In Part 3, I will discuss another way to prevent heart disease and ensure good heart health – visit your physician regularly.