July 9th, 2008
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This news item is more than a year old. Links, graphics, content, medical information, and statistics may be out of date. We invite you to search, visit our homepage, or contact us to find more current information on the topic you're looking for.Study Finds More Evidence Cigars Not a Safe Smoke
Mon May 10, 2004
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Puffing on one cigar may be enough to harden the body's main artery for hours afterward, a small study shows. Researchers say the findings add to evidence that, far from being a "safe" alternative to cigarettes, cigars increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
But research shows that cigar smoking does boost the risk of heart disease, stroke and several types of cancer, including lung and oral cancers.
[Ironically, this story was published on the same day that cigar-smoking American comedian Alan King died of lung cancer.]
Reference:
Cigar smoking has an acute detrimental effect on arterial stiffness
Charalambos Vlachopoulos, Nikolaos Alexopoulos, Demosthenes Panagiotakos, Michael F. O'Rourke and Christodoulos Stefanadis
American Journal of Hypertension, Volume 17, Issue 4, April 2004, Pages 299-303