GENEVA: While the link between smoking and a range of cancers is well known, the World Health Organization warned on Thursday there was too little awareness of tobacco’s impact on the human heart. And it cautioned that research showed there was “a serious lack of knowledge” about the different health risks associated with tobacco. But many people are unaware that nearly half of those deaths, around three million, are due to cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and stroke, WHO warned. Yet in many countries, there is very low awareness that smoking significantly increases your chances of developing cardiovascular disease. “Governments have the power in their hands to protect their citizens from suffering needlessly from heart disease,” said Douglas Bettcher, who heads WHO’s non-communicable disease prevention unit.

Source: Manila Times May 30, 2018 22:41 UTC