Arterial Aging Worse for Smokers, Study Says

Smokers’ arteries age about twice as quickly as those of nonsmokers, becoming progressively stiffer and increasing the risk of stroke and heart attacks, according to new research from Japan.

HealthDay News reported April 26 that Tokyo Medical University and University of Texas at Austin researchers measured the speed at which blood is pumped from the heart to the brachial artery — the main blood vessel in the upper arm — and the ankles of about 2,000 adults. They measured stiffening of the arteries over a five to six year period.

“One of the challenges that physicians face when trying to get people to stop smoking is the argument, ’Well, I’ve been smoking for years and nothing has happened to me yet,’” said David Vorchheimer, an associate professor of medicine and cardiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center who was not involved in the study. “What this study emphasizes is that the damage is cumulative. The fact that you’ve gotten away with it so far doesn’t mean you’ll get away with it forever.”

The research was published in the May 4, 2010 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.