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People under the age of 40 are five times more likely to suffer a heart attack if they smoke, a study reveals.
The finding, based on World Health Organization records, blows away the long-held notion that only older, longtime smokers are at risk of developing heart disease.
Researchers found that four-fifths of 35-to-39- year-old heart-attack victims in a multinational group were smokers, with men nearly five times as likely to have a nonfatal heart attack as their nonsmoking peers.
The impact was more devastating for female smokers in the same age bracket. They were more than five times as likely to have a heart attack.
Post Wire Services
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