Letter: Throw out tobacco to keep heart healthy

0

To the editor:

Today is World Heart Day, an international event to raise awareness of the importance of a healthy heart and share tips for keeping your heart strong.

One of the top recommendations for keeping your heart in good shape? Quit using tobacco.

Though perhaps more commonly associated with lung cancer, cigarette smoking is also a strong risk factor for heart disease. In fact, between 2010 and 2014, nearly 18,000 Hoosiers died every year from major cardiovascular diseases.

Sadly, the effects of smoking on the heart are also not limited to the smoker themselves. Secondhand smoke also takes a serious toll on the health of those around the smoker. More than 1,300 Hoosiers every year die from secondhand smoke exposure.

If you use tobacco, do the right thing for your heart and the health of those around you by calling the Indiana Tobacco Quitline at 800-784-8669 for free help. It’s never too late to quit.

Lynn Ramberg

Tobacco Awareness Coordinator Bartholomew County

No posts to display