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Most people understand that a successful effort to quit smoking comes with a variety of health benefits. Here at Matthews Internal Medicine, one of our areas of expertise is preventative care. We can help you quit smoking, avoid some medical conditions, and live a healthier life. Quitting smoking can actually help you lower your risk for developing a variety of potentially deadly ailments, including heart disease.
The Connection Between Smoking and Heart Disease
Smokers generally have a higher chance of developing chronic problems and deadly ailments, like heart disease. There are numerous risk factors for heart disease, but smoking can actually serve as a risk factor all by itself. That’s because it contributes to a variety of issues that make developing heart disease more likely.
Being overweight or obese can lead to the development of heart disease. Low amounts of physical activity can also be a risk factor. Smoking makes physical activity less palatable. You’ll be out of breath earlier than expected. You’ll find that exercising is just harder as a smoker. Eventually, you could end up cutting down on physical activity, making the development of heart disease more likely.
How Long Until You See Health Benefits
You’ll actually see the health benefits of a successful smoking cessation program faster than you might expect. Medical professionals knew that quitting smoking could reduce risk of developing ailments like heart disease, but recent research shows that risk could decline even faster than expected. Originally, it was thought that fifteen years of not smoking would help former smokers have the same risk of cardiovascular disease as someone who’s never picked up a cigarette. Now, some people have shown that they could lower their risk to that level in less time. The median time period in a recent study was just eight years.
That’s a big deal. That means that, no matter your age, a smoking cessation program can bring you health benefits faster than expected. It also means that quitting smoking as early as possible still makes a huge difference for your heart health.
To figure this out, researchers pored through thirteen years worth of data from the Cardiovascular Health Study. It compared more than 800 smokers age sixty-five and older who quit to around 2,500 people who have never smoked. This goes along with previous research that shows that quitting smoking can actually lead to health improvements in just a few days. Your ability to taste and smell improves in a mere two days, while lung function can dramatically improve in just a few months. Now we know that cardiac health benefits can come sooner too.
How We Can Help
At Matthews Internal Medicine, our smoking cessation experts will help support you as you quit smoking. We know that this is a difficult addiction to kick, but it pays off once you’ve lowered your risk of heart disease and other medical problems. Our focus is on preventative care here at our practice, which means that we want you to avoid major medical issues in the first place. So contact us today and begin a smoking cessation program. You’ll see health benefits even faster than you’d expect.