How Does LDL Increase Through Smoking?

Each year, cardiovascular disease tops the list as the No. 1 killer of American women and men. High cholesterol and smoking are two of the six risk factors in developing heart disease, but cutting out one will dramatically reduce the risk of the other.

Smoking Decreases HDL Levels

• HDL, or good cholesterol, is responsible for patrolling the blood stream to collect excess LDL and transporting it back to the liver for disposal. Certain chemicals found in cigarette smoke, namely acrolein, impair HDL from collecting bad cholesterol.

Smoking Increases LDL Levels

• The reduction of HDL allows LDL to travel and accumulate more freely. Acrolein triggers a process that changes the molecular structure of LDL, making it unrecognizable to the immune system. The immune system deploys white blood cells to attack LDL, causing inflammation and further build-up. This accumulation results in plaque buildup on the arterial walls, which hardens over time and leads to atherosclerosis.

Heart Attack and Stroke

• Nicotine and carbon monoxide hasten the accumulation of cholesterol and constriction of arterial walls. This leads to the formation of clots that may block blood flow to either the heart or brain, resulting in a heart attack or stroke.

Cardiovascular Disease

• Smoking is responsible for 20 percent of deaths related to cardiovascular disease annually.

Prevention/Solution

• Quitting smoking will immediately reduce cholesterol and, in turn, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The risk of heart disease is decreased by 50 percent after the first year of quitting.