A new study led by researchers at the Jordan University of Science and Technology has found that smokers have a lower chance of surviving a heart attack than non-smokers. The study, which was published in the journal ‘Experimental Biology’, has also found that levels of Alpha-1 Anti Trypsin (A1AT), a protein in the liver that protects the body’s tissues, in smokers were “significantly less” than in non-smokers.
A co-author of the study, Said Khatib, Ph.D., said, “The aim of this study was to compare the plasma levels of A1AT released in smokers and non-smokers and between hypertensive and non-hypertensive individuals after an attack.” It is believed that A1AT could offer protection to cardiac tissue when it is released during a heart attack.
The study was conducted on 29 adult men and 11 adult women through blood samples drawn within one, four, 24, 48, and 96 hours of a heart attack diagnosis. Participants were divided into four groups - smokers and non-smokers, and hypertensive and non-hypertensive.
