Washington, Nov 15 Smoking ban has resulted in a 27 percent decrease in heart attacks in the city of Starkville in United States, reveals a new study.

Researchers, led by Robert McMillen and Dr. Robert Collins, have also recommended a statewide public ban on smoking.

The study-that focussed on Starkville residents in the three-year span after the ban became law, compared to three years prior- showed fewer heart attacks being treated at the Oktibbeha County Hospital.

The findings are part of a larger SSRC evaluation of Mississippi communities that passed smoking bans in recent years. McMillen said the data shows Starkville benefitting medically from the smoking ban.

"The emerging scientific consensus clearly demonstrates that communities like Starkville can reduce heart attacks simply by prohibiting smoking in indoor public places. Smoke-free laws are popular with the public and are free to implement," said McMillen.

The MSU investigation mirrors findings of a federally commissioned panel of scientists recently made public.

Commissioned by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, that report by the independent and non-profit Institute of Medicine examined information from 11 studies of communities in Canada, Italy, Scotland, and the United States.

The CDC/IM concluded that bans on smoking in public places reduces cases of heart attacks and heart disease.

"Our research substantiates that report from the Institute of Medicine," McMillen said. (ANI)