Information comes from a recent study published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association. The study is a compilation of nine previously published research articles on the topic. The study notes a decrease in the risk of AMI (acute myocardial infarction), another name for a heart attack.

“The risk of AMI falls rapidly after smoking cessation,” wrote study authors James M. Lightwood, Ph. D, and Stanton A. Glantz, Ph.D. And even those who never light up themselves benefit. “The effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) on many biological mediators that lead to heart disease occur rapidly and are nearly as large as those of smoking.”

Research showed an estimated 15 percent decline in the incidence of heart attacks in the first year of smoking bans alone. Three years following enforcement of the laws saw an even greater decline, roughly 36 percent, with a 40 percent drop in Montana.

Research from five European countries that have adopted similar policies was also examined in this study. Heart attack rates fell a full 11 percent in just two months following a ban on smoking in Italy. Similar statistics were found in Ireland.    

“Secondhand smoke (SHS) increases the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by 25% to 31% (1–5),” researchers^* from the Kansas University School of Medicine’s Division of Cardiovascular Diseases write. “In countries where smoking prevalence is high, for example, Britain 50%, Europe 62%, and Greece 156%, versus 22% in the U.S., AMI in nonsmokers is particularly increased.”

Individuals who ceased smoking after the laws went into effect were not accounted for, and most of the statistics come from restaurant workers. Although this somewhat limits the data, researchers believe rates are underestimated and expect this trend to continue exponentially as more legislation goes into effect.

Authors of the study write, “Passage of strong smoke-free legislation produces rapid and substantial benefits in terms of reduced AMIs and that these benefits grow with time.”

*David G. Meyers, M.D, M.Ph.; John S. Neuberger, DRPH, M.Ph.; M.B.A., and Jianghua He, Ph.D