Everyone knows the danger of smoking and its health-related risks. However, the risk of getting the heart attack from smoking is eight times higher in young adults (people under 50) than their peers who never smoke or quit smoking, according to a recent study in the UK. The research was conducted by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation in collaboration with the University of Sheffield.

The research was published in the journal Heart on Tuesday, as IBTimes wrote.

Ever Grech, consultant cardiologist at Sheffield Teaching NHS Foundation Trust said that younger smokers are more prone to heart attacks than their non-smoking peers or ex-smokers. In addition, this research would allow targeted intervention.

Grech added that many people tend to underestimate health risk caused by smoking. Everyone knows smoking is bad for their health, but most people think the risk is not as dangerous as they think, as quoted by Reuters.

The research involved 1,727 individuals suffering from STEMI ( ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction), a very severe heart attack caused by the blockage of one of the arteries from 2009 to 2012. Half of the adults (48.5 percent) were current smokers, while more than 27 percent of them were ex-smokers, 24 percent non-smokers.

Researchers also relied on data obtained from the Office for National Statistics Integrated Household Survey (ONS-IHS), for the South Yorkshire region that gathered information related to the prevalence of smoking in the region.

The researchers reported that people under 50 who smoke have a risk eight times higher to get the heart attack at younger age compared to people under the same age group who gave up smoking and who never smoke.While in the South Yorkshire population, the researchers calculated in a group of 100,000 people, 60 smokers under 50 will likely to have a heart attack every year.

This result sends a strong warning to young adults to stop smoking. Or if it sounds impossible, at least they can try reducing the numbers of cigarettes they smoke daily.