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Woman more at risk from smoking than men

08/11/11

A recent study published in the Lancet medical journal found that women who smoke are 25 percent more likely to develop heart disease than men who smoke.

To arrive at this conclusion, scientists from the University of Minnesota and Johns Hopkins University reviewed more than 80 international studies that involved more than 2.4 million people. The study also noted that the longer a woman smokes, the higher her risk becomes when compared to male smokers.

Men who smoke increase their risk of developing heart disease by roughly 80 percent, while woman who smoke increase their risk by approximately 130 percent, according to the study. The reasons behind this disparity remain uncertain, but the researchers believe it could be as simple as the physical differences between the sexes, as well as differences in smoking habits.

"Women might extract a greater quantity of carcinogens and other toxic agents from the same number of cigarettes than men," said the researchers.

Smokers often experience increased health and life insurance rates due to their habit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that slightly more than 20 percent of American adults are smokers. It states that cigarette smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths, accounting for roughly one out of every five deaths in the United States each year. 

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