Scientists Issue Shocking Health Warning For Anyone Smoking Just Two Cigarettes A Day

It may not seem like much, but even a tiny amount is still extremely harmful

Scientists have released a serious warning about the impact of smoking, even when the amount seems small. Their message is clear, and it challenges the idea that “just a couple” of cigarettes is harmless.

By now, most people understand that smoking is dangerous. Many of us remember those side-by-side images of healthy lungs compared to the tar-covered lungs of someone who smoked, and the visual difference alone made a strong impression.

Smoking raises your risk for major health problems like cancer, heart disease, blood clots, and many other conditions. If there is a serious illness you can think of, chances are smoking plays a role in making it worse in one way or another.

Smoking more, of course, increases the danger. More cigarettes mean more carcinogens entering the body and more tar building up over time. Still, some people believe that having one or two cigarettes a day, while not ideal, must be far less harmful than smoking a pack.

However, scientists have now shared a warning that shows even small amounts come with serious risks. Their findings suggest the damage begins much earlier than many people realize.

The research came from Johns Hopkins University and followed the smoking habits of more than 300,000 adults over roughly two decades. The large sample size helped the team see long-term patterns that are easy to miss in smaller studies.

Smoking even a little bit is still very bad for youSimpleImages/Getty

The study showed that people who smoked only two cigarettes a day had a 60 percent higher risk of dying from any cause compared to people who never smoked. This number surprised many because it showed just how quickly the danger increases, even with low daily use.

The findings, published on November 18 in the journal PLOS Medicine, also revealed that the low-intensity smokers still had a 50 percent higher risk of developing heart disease, which is one of the most common consequences of long-term smoking.

Dr. Jennifer Miao, a cardiologist at Yale University and an ABC News Medical Unit fellow, explained the problem clearly, saying: “Tobacco use is a very well-established risk factor for heart disease.”

“It really damages the blood vessel lining and it accelerates the development of plaques and coronary artery disease.”

The study authors stressed that although the risks are higher, quitting still provides major benefits. They explained that your risk begins to drop almost right away once you stop smoking, which is encouraging for anyone trying to quit.

Dr. Erfan Tasdighi, an internal medicine physician at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a co-author of the study, helped break down the findings and the immediate changes the body experiences after quitting.

Smoking causes a huge number of serious problemsMarianVejcik/Getty

“It’s important that people know that when they stop smoking, their risk goes down immediately and significantly,” he told ABC, adding: “It’s important to quit smoking early on, and no amount of smoking is without risk and health consequences.”

But despite the quick improvements after quitting, Dr. Tasdighi made it very clear that even small amounts still have major consequences. He emphasized that there is no safe level of smoking and that the risks start much earlier than many people assume.

“We actually have the evidence … to say that even less than one cigarette a day can increase different multiple cardiovascular outcomes, and it’s not something that’s clinically insignificant,” he said.

At the same time, the doctor acknowledged that ending the habit is incredibly challenging for many people, saying: “It’s very, very important for us as clinicians to acknowledge that it’s a lot easier said than done.”

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