Quit Smoking
According to the surgeon general, smoking causes one of out of every three deaths from cardiovascular disease. What’s more, 33,000 nonsmokers die each year from cardiovascular disease caused by secondhand smoke. Chemicals in cigarette smoke increase the formation of plaque in the arteries, thicken the the blood and otherwise narrow blood vessels. Quit today and within a year, your risk of a heart attack drops dramatically; you’ll allower your risk for the following illnesses:
- Atheriosclerois, in which plaque builds up in the arterial walls and blocks blood flow
- Coronary heart disease, in which blood is thickened and forms clots inside veins and arteries
- Peripheral arterial disease, in which blood vessels are narrowed reducing the flow of blood to arms, legs, hands and feet
