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People are frequently inclined to think that the ill effects of smoking only kick in in middle- and old-age. However, research has shown that smoking can dramatically affect the health of younger people too. It seems that people who are under the age of forty are five times more likely to have a heart attack if they smoke, than they would do otherwise.

These statistics were compiled on behalf of the World Health Organisation, and have put paid to the idea that it is only older smokers who are at risk of cardiac disease.

The survey looked at around 23,000 non-fatal heart attacks that took place between 1985 and 1994, in areas as diverse as Europe, Australia, New Zealand, North America and China, and it was found that four-fifths of the victims aged 35-39 were smokers. The results of the survey were published in the British Medical Journal’s Tobacco Control journal which specifically looks into the health effects of tobacco, and reports on rigourous scientific research done in this area.

Sadly for women, the study also suggests that their vulnerability to heart disease due to smoking, may be slightly higher than the risk for men, although it is not entirely certain why this should be the case.

A lot of younger people who smoke think that they can always give up when they are older, before the serious health risks start to take their toll. But the truth of the matter is that they are making themselves far more vulnerable to heart disease in the here and now. It is to be hoped that this knowledge will make younger smokers reconsider their health options, and follow the route to quitting and a healthier lifestyle.

Filed under: Young people, Health Effects