Dr. Howard Smith Oncall

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/afcH5ANj4AU   Let’s say that you smoked heavily in your younger years but then quit. That’s good news for your health, but a new study just published from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health shows that your risk of circulatory problems in your legs goes on for up to 30 years after you quit.   The study looked at 13,355 subjects at Hopkins, the University of North Carolina, and UC-San Diego for more than 26 years, and tabulated their development of peripheral arterial disease, coronary artery disease, and cerebral vascular disease with stroke.  Those who smoked the longest and most heavily had the highest risks in each category.   Most important was the finding that the risk of peripheral vascular disease lasted the longest at 30 years followed by coronary artery disease at 20 years.     This study proves that once your begin smoking, you are damaging your body for close to forever.   The best strategy is never to begin.   Ning Ding, Yingying Sang, Jingsha Chen, Shoshana H. Bal