Here’s a survival tip for living in the big city: Don’t breathe.

Researchers at NYU’s medical school said that merely inhaling New York’s air can increase your risk of stroke by contributing to a deadly artery constriction.

“Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that air pollution is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease,” said Jonathan Newman, a cardiologist at NYU’s Langone Medical Center.

“It shows that a person’s cardiovascular risk is not only associated with their genes, health behaviors and lifestyle choices — it also depends, to some extent, on the world we live in and the air we breathe.”

Newman was the lead author on a study titled “Particulate Air Pollution and Carotid Artery Stenosis,” which focused on air quality in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

The study focused on 300,000 area residents and the levels of pollution in each person’s home ZIP code based on air quality measurements collected by the US Environmental Protection Agency from 2003 to 2008.

The analysis revealed that residents living in ZIP codes with the most air pollution had a 24 percent greater risk of artery constriction than those living with less air pollution in their neighborhoods.

The analysis excluded people with known carotid disease and adjusted for age, demographics, medical history and median household income.

The research focused on a type of pollution known as fine particulate matter, which stems largely from combustion-related sources, such as car exhaust and the burning of coal or wood.

“If you’re in good health, the level of air pollution we see in most parts of the United States probably doesn’t pose a significant health risk to you,” Newman said.

“But for people who are very young, very old or have other medical problems, air pollution could be a significant source of cardiovascular disease risk.”

Carotid artery stenosis is linked to more than half of strokes in the United States.

And indoor and outdoor air pollution is linked to about 8 million premature deaths from respiratory and other diseases each year worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.

The NYU findings also point to air pollution as a potential factor in why some people, such as those with diabetes, might be more susceptible to cardiovascular problems than others.

Newman said people with cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure and high cholesterol should limit their time outdoors when pollution levels are high.

He also stressed the importance of drawing attention to strategies to reduce air pollution.