REDUCING YOUR RISK OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: SMOKING- WHY IS SMOKING HARMFUL?
REDUCING YOUR RISK OF CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE: SMOKING- WHY IS SMOKING HARMFUL?Tobacco smoke contains about 4,000 substances, and many of them, such as nicotine, tars, nitrosamines, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, are known to produce adverse effects.The main cardiovascular risk from smoking is the development of atherosclerosis in blood vessels. The mechanisms by which this occurs remain elusive, despite the clear-cut association with tobacco use. Several potential links have been identified: smoking reduces the proportion of HDL (“good”) cholesterol to LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in the blood and increases the tendency for blood to clot inside the blood vessels and obstruct blood flow. Constituents of tobacco smoke may also directly damage the internal protective lining of blood vessels (endothelium).Inhaling cigarette smoke also produces several temporary adverse effects on your heart and blood vessels, and these may provoke serious consequences such as heart attacks. The nicotine in the smoke increases your blood pressure and heart rate. Carbon monoxide (a gas produced by smoking—the same gas in car exhaust that is lethal in an enclosed space) gets into your blood and reduces the amount of oxygen that your blood can carry to your heart and the rest of your body. It causes the arteries in your arms and legs to constrict.*229\252\8*
