A Serious Danger of Smoking – Its Effect on Your Heart
Sunday, December 14th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed
Heart disease is very serious and over and over we hear how smoking can cause it. But how? How can smoking lead to heart disease? In fact, what exactly is heart disease?
In this context, the phrase ‘heart disease’ usually refers to coronary artery disease. That’s a condition in which a major blood vessel that leaves the heart carrying oxygen-rich blood becomes constricted. That increases the odds of a clot or closure that causes a heart attack. That’s why it’s sometimes called ‘having a coronary’.
Long term, heavy smoking greatly increases the odds of that happening for several reasons.
Carbon monoxide is present in cigarette smoke. It binds with hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that helps transport oxygen throughout the body, including the heart. Reducing the oxygen to the heart ups the odds of heart disease.
Cigarettes also contain nicotine which works against the heart because it robs the blood of oxygen that the heart needs. It also makes the blood clot easier which increases your risk of a heart attack.
But even more subtle, yet still dangerous, effects are produced by nicotine. One of the most serious, long term, is that it encourages the growth of fatty deposits on the arteries, constricting blood flow and hardening the blood vessel.
Arthrosclerosis is a condition where good cholesterol called HDL (high density lipoprotein) is decreased in the blood which allows for fat deposits to form on the arteries. Smoking greatly encourages and feeds this condition.
Reducing the diameter of the artery increases blood pressure. That makes it more likely that any weakness present in the artery wall, something termed an aneurysm, will lead to a rupture. That leads to oxygen starvation to the brain, resulting in a stroke. That’s why one so often sees ‘raises the risk of heart disease and stroke’ discussed in the same sentence.
When your arteries become hard they are not able to perform their tasks without extreme stress.
Blood will not flow properly through arteries if there are holes in your arteries. Also, if your blood does not continue to flow freely through your arteries the results are always damaging but can be deadly. Every living tissue in your body is depending on the blood it needs survive and that blood is delivered through the arteries of your heart.
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