Six out of 10 National Health Service trusts in the U.K. report treating fewer patients for heart attacks since a national ban on indoor smoking went into effect last July, and heart attacks are down 3 percent in the same time period nationally, the Telegraph reported June 16.

Some individual hospitals have seen heart-attack cases decline by up to 41 percent since the ban was imposed. "It seems likely that the drop in hospital admissions for heart attacks is linked to the implementation of the smoking ban. It shows just how quickly the benefits can be felt," said Amanda Sandford of Action on Smoking and Health. "Even if the overall percentage reduction appears small, the fact that this amounts to over a thousand people whose lives have been saved is extremely important."

Some experts say that the trend can be attributed to more people quitting smoking because of the ban and a reduction in passive smoking and exposure to airborne toxins. However, the U.K. Department of Health cautioned that "it is too early to attribute this to the smoke-free legislation."