Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın, President of the Turkish Society for the Fight Against Tobacco, stated that smoking increases the risk of heart attacks, saying, “17% of the 20 million deaths caused by heart disease are due to smoking. Therefore, it is necessary to quit not just soon but right now.”
In a statement made on the occasion of Heart Health Week, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mustafa Aydın said that one of the biggest enemies of the heart is tobacco and tobacco products. He noted that smoking increases the risk of heart attacks and stated, “Whether it’s one cigarette or a thousand, it doesn’t matter. Even those who say ‘I smoke a little, it won’t do any harm’ or those exposed to cigarette smoke have an increased likelihood of having a heart attack.”
“The biggest trigger of heart and vascular diseases”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aydın pointed out that smoking disrupts the balance of cholesterol in the blood by reducing good cholesterol and increasing bad cholesterol. He emphasized that this situation is one of the biggest triggers of heart and vascular diseases, especially arteriosclerosis. He mentioned that the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that 17% of the 20 million deaths that occur annually worldwide due to heart diseases are caused by smoking, which means nearly 4 million people lose their lives directly due to smoking. According to experts, hookah, electronic cigarettes, and all tobacco products directly or indirectly harm the heart. For many years, we discussed the negative effects of smoking only on the lungs. However, the truth is that smoking also has direct and very serious effects on the heart. Smoking has many fatal consequences, such as arteriosclerosis and vascular blockage.”
“Smoking is a poison with destructive effects”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aydın stated that 70% of heart and vascular diseases and 90% of lung cancers seen in our country are caused by smoking. He said, “The likelihood of people who smoke experiencing a heart attack is five times higher than that of non-smokers. Even smoking one cigarette a day increases the risk of heart and vascular diseases. Moreover, it is also known that the risk of developing throat cancer is 20 times higher in smokers. Smoking is a significant factor that increases the risk of many types of cancer and is a poison with serious destructive effects on health.”
“The best time to quit smoking is now!”
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Aydın emphasized that the common belief among smokers that “I have been smoking for years, so it won’t make a difference if I quit now” is extremely wrong. He said, “You are never too late to quit smoking. According to studies, the risk of having a heart attack decreases by half within three years after quitting smoking, and after six years, the risk returns to the level of non-smokers. Therefore, the best time to quit smoking is now. In addition to avoiding smoking for heart health, attention should also be paid to healthy and balanced nutrition and regular exercise,” he concluded.