Smokers: Lifestyle intervention might save your heart

Everyone knows smoking is hazardous to your health. Especially your heart.

In fact, it heightens your risk of a heart attack. And it significantly raises your heart disease risk—the No. 1 cause of death worldwide.

Still, some people continue with the habit. That’s what makes today’s message so important…

A new study found that a simple lifestyle intervention was as powerful as three pharmaceutical drugs in warding off future cardiovascular events in smokers.

(Shh, don’t tell Big Pharma!)

Stop smoking, save your heart

According to new findings presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2022, stopping smoking—our lifestyle intervention—can translate to nearly FIVE heart-disease free years.

The analysis looked at just under 1,000 subjects, aged 45 and older, who continued to smoke at least six months after experiencing a heart attack and/or undergoing a stent or bypass procedure.

They were also treated with three standard preventative medications: bempedoic acid, colchicine, and a scary new cholesterol-lowering medication called a PCSK9 inhibitor.

(Yes, sadly, that’s how most patients who have had a heart attack, stroke, or bypass surgery continue to live. Not to mention other prescriptions too, like blood thinners and hypertension meds!)

Now, look at these findings…

On average, bempedoic acid provided 0.6 event-free years, colchicine provided 2.2 event-free years, and PCSK9 inhibitor provided 2.6 event-free years.

So, how does our lifestyle “prescription” compare?

Well, on average, stopping smoking translated to 4.8 event-free years.

All from saying “no” to cigarettes! In fact, patients had to be on all three drugs to see comparable protective benefits as smoking cessation.

This is exactly why, in my view, lifestyle intervention will ALWAYS rule. It’s cheap, effective, and comes without side effects. (Unless you want to consider better health a side effect!)

The evidence is there

Mainstream medicine is unwilling to ever discuss simple lifestyle alterations like this. And what bothers me the most is that the evidence is there… staring them in the face.

The findings I presented here today come from six already published studies. It’s just that no one ever bothered to dig into the data. (I mean, why would they? Big Pharma wouldn’t approve!)

Too often, however, research and conventional medical practice focuses on incremental effects of additional drugs and interventions. But what this futile effort does is to lose sight of the basics.

You know, simple lifestyle interventions that are incredibly powerful, like quitting smoking.

Of course, I understand quitting smoking isn’t easy. For most smokers, quitting cold turkey is easier said than done. But making a commitment to stop is more beneficial to your health than turning to drugs.

Let me also be clear that “cutting back” doesn’t cut it, either.

I outline how you can successfully kick the habit and quit cigarettes—in any form—in the February 2020 issue of my monthly Logical Health Alternatives newsletter (“Put down that cigarette and vape pen once and for all!”). Not yet a subscriber? Click here to become one.

You have nothing to lose… and many heart-healthy years to gain!

Until next time,

Dr. Fred

Source:

“Smokers with heart disease could gain five healthy years by quitting.” European Society of Cardiology, 04/07/2022. (escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Smokers-with-heart-disease-could-gain-five-healthy-years-by-quitting)


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