Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Tobacco smoke is one of the six major controllable risk factors for heart disease (along with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, being overweight and physical inactivity). If you smoke and have high cholesterol, you have two major controllable risk factors you need to work on. Exposure to other people's smoke increases the risk of heart disease even for nonsmokers.

Higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol may reduce your risk of heart disease, but smoking has been shown to lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Smoking also decreases your tolerance for physical activity, making it harder to get the activity you need to help you reach healthy cholesterol levels. 

The good news is that when you stop smoking — no matter how long or how much you’ve smoked — your risk of heart disease and stroke starts to drop. It’s cut in half after one year without smoking, then continues to decline until it’s as low as a nonsmoker’s risk. And if you don't smoke, avoid exposure to secondhand smoke.

Download printable information sheets about:

How Can I Quit Smoking?
How Can I Avoid Weight Gain When I Stop Smoking?
How Can I Handle the Stress of Not Smoking?

This content is reviewed regularly. Last updated 04/14/08.