The debate on whether smoking a cigarette or Hookah is more harmful has been an endless one. However, researchers may have finally found an answer to the same.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, have found that smoking Hookah for 30 minutes resulted in the development of cardiovascular risk factors similar to that of cigarette smoking, thereby implying that smoking Hookah is more hazardous to one’s health.
They measured measuring heart rate, blood pressure, arterial stiffness, blood nicotine and exhaled carbon monoxide levels in 48 healthy, young Hookah smokers before and after 30 minutes of smoking.
It was found that a single session of Hookah smoking increased heart rate by 16 beats per minute and blood pressure; and significantly increased measures of arterial stiffness, a key risk factor in the development of cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack or stroke.
The increase in arterial stiffness was comparable to data seen from cigarette smokers after smoking a cigarette.
