Stop to Save Your Life: Quitting Smoking Reduces the Risk of Atrial Fibrillation

People who quit smoking have a lower risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib) than people who continue to smoke, according to a study published in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology. 

In this study, researchers analyzed UK Biobank data on more than 146,700 current and former smokers. Participants’ smoking habits and health outcomes were tracked for approximately 12 years.

According to the results, former smokers had around a 13% lower risk of AFib than people who were still smoking. Surprisingly, the investigators noted that those who quit smoking during the study had an 18% lower risk of AFib than people who smoke, showing a notably reduced risk than former smokers.

“The findings provide a compelling new reason to show current smokers that it’s not too late to quit and that having smoked in the past doesn’t mean you’re ‘destined’ to develop AFib,” said senior author Gregory Marcus, MD, MAS, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, via a press release. “Even for the current and longtime smoker, AFib can still be avoided.”

Dr. Marcus added that, “While the current study is also observational, our findings lend credence to the idea that smoking may truly cause AFib.”