Even smoking just a few cigarettes a day poses a significant risk to heart health and shortens life.Those who consume two to five cigarettes a day have a 60% higher risk of premature death and a 50% higher likelihood of developing heart disease compared to non-smokers.Studies have shown that even less than one cigarette a day increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, and it is not clinically insignificant.[1][2] Cigarette smoking is a major contributor to heart disease.[Smoking shortens life by 13 to 15 years.[1] Although quitting leads to a reduction in risk, some health risk remains in the long term - a year after quitting, the risk of death from heart disease is only halved.[3] Researchers stress that there is no safe level of smoking and that smokers should try to quit completely instead of just limiting the number of cigarettes they smoke[1].