Cigar, pipe, and smokeless tobacco use linked to distinct heart risks
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- Reviewed by Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
Using tobacco in cigars, pipes, or smokeless products such as snuff is associated with distinct heart-related risks, a new study finds.
For the study, researchers pooled data from 15 studies between 1948 and 2015 that included data about the use of at least one tobacco product other than cigarettes. Among the more than 103,000 participants included in the study, about 1% smoked tobacco in pipes and about 2% smoked cigars and about 2% used smokeless tobacco.
After a median follow-up of nearly 14 years, researchers found that current cigar use was linked to an increased risk of stroke, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure, while current pipe use was associated with a higher risk of heart failure. Smokeless tobacco users faced a heightened risk of heart attack and death due to heart disease. The study was published Jan. 13, 2025, in JAMA Network Open.
Image: © Eva Spure/Getty Images
About the Author
Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
About the Reviewer
Christopher P. Cannon, MD, Editor in Chief, Harvard Heart Letter; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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