Quitting Smoking Equates to Revival of
Blood Vessels
A new study shows that blood vessel
function rapidly recuperates after smokers kick the habit,
leading to a reduced risk of heart disease and heart attack..
More than 1,500 people took part in a clinical trial to help
them quit smoking. Before and one year after the participants
stopped smoking, doctors used ultrasound to measure the
patients' flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a gauge of the health
of the brachial artery, the main artery of the upper arm.
The ability of the brachial artery to relax is closely
related to the ability of the heart arteries to relax, and
predicts risk for future heart and blood vessel disease,
explained the University of Wisconsin researchers.
They compared the FMD readings from patients who
successfully quit with those who quit and then resumed
smoking.
While a significant improvement in blood vessel function was
seen, there was associated weight gain in people who quick
smoking.
Even though the change in FMD was 1
percent, this equates to about a 14 percent lower rate of
cardiovascular disease events. This is very
important.
Cardiovascular disease is the cause of about one-third of
smoking-related premature deaths in the United States.
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