Yes, smoking causes heart disease, and quitting is the single most effective step you can take to protect your heart starting today. Within 24 hours of your last cigarette, your blood pressure and heart rate begin to drop; within a year, your risk of coronary heart disease falls by half. The urgent question isn’t whether the link exists, but whether you recognize the warning signs in your own body and know how to reverse the damage before it becomes permanent.
Cigarette smoke delivers more than 7,000 chemicals into your bloodstream with every inhale. Nicotine and carbon monoxide force your heart to work harder while starving …