Tobacco use

You can help your heart and your health by managing your risk factors and living a healthy lifestyle. Risk factors are behaviors, habits or conditions that can put your heart at a high risk for problems. Some of these you cannot control while others you can.

Tobacco use is one of the major three risk factors you can control.

Tobacco use is the most preventable cause of death in the U.S. Cigarette smokers are two to four times more likely to develop heart disease than nonsmokers, and 10 times as likely to develop peripheral arterial disease (known as PAD).

People who smoke are at an increased risk for heart attack, stroke and circulatory problems, as well as cancer, lung disorders and reproductive health issues.