How does nicotine in cigarettes increase the risk of heart attack?
Cigarette smoking may increase the risk of developing hardening of the arteries and heart attacks in several ways. Firstly, carbon monoxide can damage the inner walls of the arteries, increasing the risk of fatty buildups in them. Slowly but surely, this causes the blood vessels to narrow and harden. Nicotine may also contribute to this process. Smoking also causes several changes in the blood that make clots — and heart attack — more likely.
