Even an occasional cigarette can endanger a person’s health and increase their risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study.

Researchers report that people who smoke as few as two cigarettes per day have a 57% higher risk of heart failure and a 60% higher risk of death from any cause.

They add that a person’s health risks decline significantly in the decade after quitting smoking. However, the researchers note that a former smoker can still have increased health risks three decades after giving up tobacco.

They say the main message from their research is for people to quit smoking as early as possible.

“Lower-intensity smoking is associated wiht cardiovascular risk and the primary public health message for current smokers should be early cessation, rather than reducing the amount of smoking,” the study authors wrote.

The researchers published their findings on November 18 in PLOS Medicine.

Experts not involved in the study say the research spotlights an vital health issue facing the United States.

“This is a robust and critically important study,” said Kevin Shah, MD, a cardiologist and program director of Heart failure outreach at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at long Beach Medical Center in California.

“It provides compelling evidence that cigarette smoking – even at low levels – substantially increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature death,” Shah told Healthline.

Key takeaways:

* Researchers say that smoking as few as two cigarettes a day can significantly increase a person’s risk of heart disease.
* Experts say there is no safe level of smoking, and the best preventive strategy is to never start the unhealthy habit.
* They say quitting smoking can be a challenge, but medical aids such as nicotine patches, and also support from friends, can help.

Even a Few Cigarettes Can Cause Significant Heart Damage

The common perception is that the harm from smoking accumulates over years of heavy use.However, new research suggests that even a small number of cigarettes can inflict significant damage to the cardiovascular system.Experts emphasize that there is no safe level of smoking, and the initial exposure can be notably detrimental.

Dr. karolyn Morgan, MD, a cardiologist and vice president of medical affairs at Hello Heart who specializes in women’s health and cardiovascular research, said the first few cigarettes can in fact do the most damage.

“There is no safe level of smoking for the cardiovascular system and the risk is not linear. the first few cigarettes cause a disproportionately large amount of damage,” Morgan told healthline.

“this is because cardiovascular risk from smoking is driven by platelet activation, endothelial dysfunction, and vasospasm, which occur even at very low exposure, i.e., just one to two cigarettes,” she explained.

Dr. Cheng-Han Chen said this message is particularly important for younger people.

“Younger adults need to understand that no amount of smoking is safe and that even occasional smoking will greatly increase your risk of death or heart disease,” he told healthline.

“The most important thing [young adults] can do for their health at that stage is to quit smoking,” Chen added.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that more than 16 million people in the United States have a smoking-related disease.

Besides affecting heart health, smoking can also cause other diseases and conditions. They include:

• more than 10 types of cancer
• lung disease
• COPD
• asthma
• type 2 diabetes
• eye-related diseases

The CDC notes that cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke exposure cause more than 480,000 deaths each year in the United States.This accounts for nearly one in five deaths.

“Cigarette smoking is well known to harm almost every part of the body,” said Chen. “This study makes