Occasional smoking as dangerous as constant tobacco consumption?

How does occasional smoking affect your health??
From time to time enjoy a cigarette than to be completely abstinent, think many casual smoker. However, when it comes to smoking, this approach is not recommended. Researchers have now found that occasional smokers are at the same risk for high blood pressure or high cholesterol as regular smokers.

Ohio State University researchers found that occasional smokers are at the same risk for high blood pressure and high cholesterol as regular smokers. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "American Journal of Health Promotion".

People who occasionally smoke cigarettes at celebrations or in bars during the weekend may experience the same risk factors for high blood pressure or high cholesterol as regular smokers. (Image: Syda Productions / fotolia.com)

Smokers are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease
When people occasionally enjoy a cigarette in certain social situations, such as at the weekend in a bar or at a party, it jeopardizes health as well as regular smokers, the experts emphasize. The current study examined the blood pressure and cholesterol level of occasional people smoking and compared it with regular smokers. To eliminate the risk of cardiovascular disease, people should not start smoking at all or stop it altogether, researchers suggest. This must be a priority for healthcare providers and policymakers, the researchers add.

Physicians examined 40,000 subjects
A total of 40,000 subjects were studied over a four-year period for the study. The participants were divided into non-smokers, occasional smokers and regular smokers. As so-called occasional smokers, people were classified who did not smoke cigarettes every day. Such people were mostly younger and male in the study. Affected people used to occasionally smoke in nightclubs or bars, say the experts. So-called social smoking has been associated with alcohol consumption in previous studies.

No difference between occasional smokers and daily smokers
The researchers also analyzed data from volunteers who had completed cardiovascular screenings. Taking into account the demographic and physical differences between regular and occasional smokers, the researchers found that there was virtually no difference in their risk of high blood pressure or high cholesterol. Both factors can lead to heart disease. The results of the study show that as soon as people start smoking cigarettes - whether regularly or occasionally at a party - they experience the same health problems.

Occasional smokers often tell the doctor that they are not smoking
Doctors and doctors usually ask routinely if patients are smokers. Occasional smokers will often deny this question because they do not consider themselves smoker. So then significant health threats can go undetected, explain the scientists. Physicians should ask in the future better, when victims last used tobacco or cigarettes.

Many people endanger their heart health through occasional smoking
High cholesterol and high blood pressure are risk factors for heart attacks and strokes. The social significance of the new study is enormous, as in the United States, for example, one in ten adults is an occasional smoker who only smokes in certain social situations, the researchers emphasize. In other words, millions of people are compromising their heart health by occasionally smoking cigarettes. A problem that should not be ignored. (As)