Active smokers vs. sedentary nonsmokers

In My Humble Opinion
1

I won’t lie: I don’t get as much exercise as I need to. I’m 6’1 and 213 lbs, not an ideal weight. Other relevant details about me are that I am caucasian, male, and 27 years old.

Now, suppose there is a person identical to me in every respect *except *that the person has a pack-a-day habit with regular filtered cigarettes, and the person gets the recommended amount of exercise each week. All things being equal, would this person likely be healthier than I?

To broaden the scope of the question, how much does a smoking habit negate other healthful activities?

2

I’m a graphic artist who has done a lot of consultation work in cardiology . . . lots of charts and graphs and slide shows related to cardiology. One thing that stands out as the greatest across-the-board risk factor is smoking. Many surgeons will not even operate on a patient who smokes; it’s too risky. The 2nd greatest risk factor is being overweight.