Smoking ban cuts heart attack.

Smoking ban cuts heart attack 

Pam Belluck October 20 2009 | Times of India Bangalore 

Bans on smoking in places like restaurants, offices and public buildings reduce cases of heart attacks and heart disease, according to a report released on Thursday by a federally commissioned panel of scientists. 

The report, issued by the Institute of Medicine, concluded that exposure to second-hand smoke significantly increased the risk of a heart attack among both smokers and non-smokers . The panel also said it found that a reduction in heart problems began fairly quickly after a smoking ban was instituted and that exposure to low or fleeting levels of second-hand smoke could cause cardiovascular problems. 

Even a small amount of exposure to second-hand smoke can increase blood clotting, constrict blood vessels and can cause a heart attack , said Dr Neal L Benowitz, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco , and a member of the panel.
The report was commissioned by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

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