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Health Capsule
Smoking and Your Heart
katlehoSeisa/iStock/Getty ImagesSmoking tobacco can cause many health problems. Did you know that it can harm your heart and blood vessels?
Smoking is a risk factor for heart disease, which can lead to heart attack, heart failure, and death. About one of every three people in the U.S. dies from heart disease.
Tobacco smoke contains many toxic chemicals. Once those chemicals get inside your body, they travel around in your blood. They can damage your heart and blood vessels. They also affect the cholesterol and fats in your blood.
Those narrow blood vessels also raise your blood pressure. That pressure puts stress on your heart.
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