Even one cigarette a day can still kill you, study finds

If you think having just one cigarette a day won’t do any harm, you’re wrong. British researchers say lighting up just once a day was linked to a much higher risk of heart disease and stroke than might be expected.

The bottom line: “No safe level of smoking exists for cardiovascular disease,” wrote the team led by Allan Hacksaw, of UCL Cancer Institute at University College, London.

“Smokers should quit instead of cutting down, using appropriate cessation aids if needed, to significantly reduce their risk,” the study authors said.

And it’s a warning to the young that even so-called “light” smoking carries a heavy price, one expert said.

Young adults “often smoke lesser amounts than older adults,” noted Patricia Folan, who directs the Center for Tobacco Control at Northwell Health, in Great Neck, N.Y.

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