Risks of occasional smoking

No small risks for occasional smoking. Although they smoke fewer cigarettes than conventional smokers, intermittent smokers experience higher than expected morbidity rates. "Light" smokers who consume 1 to 4 cigarettes per day have a mortality rate 1.5 times higher than nonsmokers.

While there is a certain proportionality between the intensity of tobacco consumption and the health risk, it must be added that the risk of cardiovascular disease is already very high among intermittent smokers. Smoking a few cigarettes already exposes oneself to a high risk for one's health.

The cardiovascular effects of smoking are not proportional to the level of exposure to tobacco smoke. Smoking one cigarette per day on average contributes to increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease by almost 50% compared to a non-smoker^[1]The increase is even more striking in women, as it amounts to 57% more risk than a non-smoking woman. The risk of coronary disease run by "light smokers" corresponds to almost half that of a heavy smoker consuming a pack a day.

The cardiovascular system is extremely sensitive to smoke. This may explain why the risks of cardiovascular accidents are high even among young smokers, even when it is occasional smoking.