Cardiovascular implications of smoking: The Surgeon General's point of view

One-fifth of all heart disease-related deaths are due to cigarette smoking. Smoking alone doubles the risk of heart failure. African Americans suffer the highest death rates from smoking among all US. population groups. Excess risk of heart disease caused by smoking can be reduced by half after just one year of quitting smoking. Therefore, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research recommends that all patients who smoke be offered smoking cessation treatments such as nicotine replacement therapy, social supports, and skills training to achieve smoking abstinence. Such treatments should also include nutritional counseling and programs of appropriate physical activity. Other strategies to reduce the prevalence of smoking among youth include curtailing marketing efforts that glamorize smoking and strict enforcement of the minimum-age-of-sale laws. With proper nutrition, moderate physical activity, and the cessation of smoking, the risk factors associated with heart disease could be greatly reduced.