A study carried out by the US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has found that cigarette smoking is linked to increased chances of diseases such as heart failure.

The study entitled Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) was funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As part of the study, groups of 45 to 65-year-old men and women were analyzed in five phases. The participants were selected from North Carolina, Mississippi, Minnesota and Maryland. While the earliest phase of the study began in 1987, the last phase was concluded in 2013. 

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Dr. Wilson Narduz, the lead author of the study, concluded that the research points towards the fact that, "smoking can independently lead to thickening of the heart and worsening of heart function, which may lead to a higher risk of heart failure, even in people who don't have heart attacks."

Using echocardiogram imaging of the heart and blood vessels, the researchers found that patients who had a history of tobacco smoking experienced diseases of the heart due to an increase in their heart size and an abnormal thickening of the left ventricle. These abnormalities directly affect the functioning of the heart leading to impaired cardiac function and stroke.

The study also pointed out that ex-smokers could regain normal heart size after they quit smoking. The researchers explained that people who smoke and have no history of cardiovascular problems are just at risk as those who smoke after being diagnosed with such diseases. 

Dr. Scott Solomon, a party to the research representing Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, confirmed these findings, saying: "This suggests that the potential effects of tobacco on the myocardium might be reversible after smoking cessation." 

Many smokers are under the impression that there is no real evidence linking cigarette smoking to fatal diseases. Such studies are, therefore, necessary to debunk the myths propagated by the tobacco industry.