Coffin Nails and Cancerettes: Stop Smoking Already!

Of all the ways smoking can kill you, heart disease is the leader.  Smoking causes death by heart attack, stroke, lung cancer, emphysema, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, to name a few. 

How does smoking cause heart disease?  Let me count the ways:

1. Speeds up atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
2. Increases our blood's tendency to clot (clotting plays a major role in heart attack and stroke)
3. Raises blood pressure
4. Decreases oxygen delivery to the heart, a muscle that beats 100,000 time every day, year after year

According to the American Heart Association, smoking is the number one cause of preventable death in the U.S., accounting for almost 440,000 deaths yearly.  By contast, only 40,000 people die from motor vehicle accidents. 

Let's do a thought experiment.  Say you're a 30-year-old cigarette smoker of one or two packs a day and eating an average American diet.  You want to "get healthier" - avoid disease, feel better, have more stamina, and live longer.  Which of the following healthy lifestyle choices would pay the greater dividend:

1. Eat healthier? . . . OR . . .
2. Stop smoking?

DING! DING! DING! DING!  Congratulations if you picked curtain No. 2!  You're right!  [I knew you were smart because your're at NutritionData.com.]

If you or someone you love is ready to quit smoking, visit the Smoking Cessation Health Center at WebMD.com. 

-Steve Parker, M.D.