Social warning: Where there is smoke, there are health dangers

You don’t have to be a pack-a-day smoker to increase your odds of illness. Even the occasional cigarette can pose a danger to your health, researchers say.

“The decline in smoking rates in this country represents a tremendous public health success story,” says cardiologist Dr. Jarett Berry, an assistant professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “Nevertheless, the growing rates of casual or social smoking among younger adults are particularly concerning. Research has shown consistently that even an occasional cigarette raises your risk for heart disease, stroke and cancer.”

Some health risks include higher cancer rates, lung disease and heart disease.

Even people who work in places where they are exposed to secondhand smoke have a higher risk of disease.

The best way to improve your health is to steer clear of cigarettes completely and to minimize exposure to cigarette smoke.

Visit http://www.utsouthwestern.org/heartlungvascular to learn more about heart/lung/vascular clinical services at UT Southwestern.

Media Contact: Katherine Morales

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