At one time doctors recommended low-fat diets to their patients until researchers discovered that diets high in carbohydrates dramatically increased the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Over at LifeZette, Dr. Brian C. Joondeph reports that even though it was considered settled science, it now appears that secondhand smoke does not cause heart attacks. He writes:
Smoking is hazardous to our health. It’s also the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, according to the CDC. And from a public health perspective, there is no doubt that cigarette smoking increases the risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.
What about secondhand smoke, however — is it similarly dangerous or just an annoyance? A recent article in Slate examined the association with some surprising results.