Research
Mixed
Smoking cessation significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke, with substantial benefits accruing over a very brief period of time.
If you smoke, quitting is one of the most impactful things you can do for your heart health. The benefits start quickly, so seek support through counseling or medications to help you quit.
StrongSupportsVERY_HIGH confidence
Conversely, substantial benefits of reduction in risk of CVD accrue in individuals who stop smoking cigarettes. These benefits occur over a very brief period of time.
Why this rating
Overwhelming evidence from multiple sources summarized in the paper.
Source
Lifestyle Strategies for Risk Factor Reduction, Prevention, and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease
James M. Rippe · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · 2018
DOI 10.1177/1559827618812395
narrative_reviewCited 310×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Adhering to a cluster of ideal lifestyle practices (regular physical activity, sound nutrition, weight management, and tobacco avoidance) reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by more than 80% and diabetes by more than 90%.Strong
- Regular physical activity of 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity provides 75% of the maximum cardiovascular benefit, with diminishing returns above this threshold.Good
- Adopting a healthy plant-based diet index (hPBDI) substantially lowers coronary heart disease risk, whereas an unhealthy plant-based diet index (uPBDI) is associated with higher risk.Good
Related findings · Mixed
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