Heart health after years of smoking: New study reveals how long it takes to recover

WHY IS THIS STUDY SIGNIFICANT?

It tells us why we need to quit smoking rather early in life. According to Dr Ambuj Roy, professor of cardiology at AIIMS, Delhi, “The results show that the effects of smoking linger in your body for a long time after you give it up and still expose you to a risk of heart attacks. This is in tune with what has been observed and studied in the past. The residual effects of smoking are just as risky till the body gets rid of them.”

WHAT DOES SMOKING DO TO THE HEART?

Smoking is known to trigger body inflammation, which can lead to plaque build-up in your arteries. “Smoking can damage blood vessel walls, constricting them. It raises your heart rate and blood pressure, stressing your heart out in the process. Smoking can lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or good cholesterol and raise your low density lipoprotein (LDL) or bad cholesterol along with triglycerides, which are a type of fat in your blood. Smoking can thicken your blood, creating conditions for a heart attack,” says Dr Balbir Singh, Cardiac Sciences, Cardiology, Max Hospital, Saket, New Delhi.

WHY DOES THE HEART TAKE LONG TO REPAIR SMOKING-INDUCED DAMAGE?

First and foremost, when you stop smoking, the blood rids itself of nicotine and carbon monoxide and gets oxygenated better, reaching your heart and muscles more easily. “You may take a couple of months or more for the lungs to heal, remove mucus, tar and dust and tend to feel short of breath or wheezing,” says Dr Singh. This usually settles within a year and you can feel yourself breathing easy. “It takes almost five years for the heart to experience the benefits of quitting smoking,” adds Dr Singh.

However, during this phase of neutralising the body, people need to take care of other co-morbidities. “The former smokers must eat right, avoid preventable risk factors like obesity, keep the blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels down, says Dr Roy. “This is the only way to lower the cumulative risk score for cardiovascular diseases,” he adds.