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Most of us believe that a bad habit, when performed relatively infrequently, isn’t actually so bad.<\/p>\nMost of us believe that a bad habit, when performed relatively infrequently, isn’t actually so bad.<\/p>\n
If it’s a daily habit, it’s unhealthy, but if it’s only a bit of fun now and then, it’s harmless, right? <\/p>\n
Wrong! At least for one dangerous habit, according to a study in the latest edition of the American Journal of Health Promotion.<\/em><\/p>\n Doing this infrequently, raises your blood pressure and cholesterol just as much as doing it daily \u2013 and it\u2019s one of the most direct causes of stroke and heart attack.<\/p>\n Scientists collected data from 39,555 participants in Ohio State University’s Million Hearts educational program. They were followed between 2012 and 2016.<\/p>\n At the beginning, the participants reported their smoking status as either non-smoker, current smoker, or social smoker. They then had their blood pressure and cholesterol tested.<\/p>\n 17% of them reported being current smokers, while just over 10 percent labeled themselves social smokers.<\/p>\n Interestingly, once factors like obesity and other demographics were excluded, the scientists found that habitual and social smokers had approximately the same levels of cholesterol and blood pressure.<\/p>\n They found 75 percent of both groups had high blood pressure and 54 percent high cholesterol.<\/p>\n This means that social smoking puts you on your way to heart disease even if you only do it infrequently.<\/p>\n But all smoking aside, to really get your cholesterol under control, you only need to cut out one single ingredient found here\u2026<\/a><\/strong> <\/p>\n