People under the age of 50 have a five-fold increased risk of developing heart disease or suffering a stroke if they smoke, experts have warned.

According to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), the risk is also doubled in those over the age of 60.

Heart disease is Europe's number one killer, causing the deaths of 1.9 million people in the EU every year. In men aged 35-69, smoking causes at least one in four of these deaths and one in nine deaths among women of the same age.

"We know that the earlier one starts smoking, the more damage the smoke does. One reason is that there is a dose response relationship between how many years one smokes and the risk of cardiovascular disease, so the younger you are when you start, the higher dose you get altogether," explained Prof Grethe Tell of the ESC.

She also noted that the earlier a person starts smoking, the more addicted they become ‘and therefore the more difficult it will be to stop smoking later'.

The ESC highlighted the importance of stopping children and teenagers from taking up smoking in the first place and has called for a number of measures to support this, including:
-A ban on tobacco products that have a characterising flavours, as such flavours are aimed at improving the taste and making the product easier to inhale. This can be particularly appealing to young people
-The introduction of plainly packaged tobacco products. (This plan has already been approved in Ireland. See more here)
-The enforcement of age verification by retailers. Anyone caught selling to minors should face large financial penalties.

Meanwhile, the ESC also highlighted the risks associated with passive smoking. According to Prof Tell, it is ‘much more dangerous than many people think'.

"Increasing exposure to cigarette smoke, either active or passive, is significantly associated with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Prevention of smoking is the most cost-effective way to treat and prevent cardiovascular disease. This is particularly important for children and adolescents who are susceptible to tobacco promotion and find it more difficult to quit smoking," she added.

For more information on heart health, click here