Smokers
According to a new study, researchers at Jordan University of Science and Technology have shown that smokers were less likely to survive a heart attack than non-smokers.
The research was published in the ‘Experimental Biology’ publication.
The study also discovered that smokers had considerably lower amounts of Alpha-1 Anti Trypsin (A1AT), a liver protein that protects the body’s tissues, than non-smokers.
According to the US Department of Health and Human Services Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention, 1.5 million heart attacks and strokes occur each year in the United States. When A1AT is released during a heart attack, it is thought to provide protection to cardiac tissue.
“The goal of this study was to compare plasma levels of A1AT released in smokers and non-smokers and between hypertensive and non-hypertensive persons after an attack,” said co-author Said Khatib, Ph.D.
Researchers believe that maintaining normal levels of A1AT in smokers after a heart attack will boost their chances of survival.
