Second Hand Smoke Threat
We’ve long known that regular exposure to second hand smoke raises the risk of developing high blood pressure, but now the largest study ever done on the subject has found that even minimal exposure is potentially dangerous. Korean researchers looked into the link between secondhand smoke and hypertension among 131,739 people whose age averaged 35. None had ever smoked. The investigators determined the participants’ exposure to secondhand smoke by measuring urinary levels of cotinine, the principal metabolite of nicotine. They found that among both men and women passive smoking at home or at work was associated with a 13 percent increased risk of hypertension. The risk rose to 15 percent among those living with smokers after age 20 and to 17 percent among those exposed to passive smoking for 10 years or more.
The researchers also reported that 27.9 percent of study participants with high blood pressure were exposed to second hand smoke at home or at work compared to only 5.5 percent of those with high blood pressure who had no exposure. Study author Byung Jin Kim, a professor at Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul warned that “…the risk of high blood pressure is higher with longer duration of passive smoking – but even the lowest amounts are dangerous.”
Source:
Byung Jin Kim, “Avoid smoky environments to protect your heart”, study results presented at EuroHeartCare 2019, scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology, May 3, 2019.
More from this week’s bulletin:
- Walnuts For Lower Blood Pressure
- Skipping Easier On Knees Than Running
- This Week’s Recipe: Tofu With Cilantro Sauce
