Saying no to your cigarettes for one week will gain you an extra day of life you would have lost otherwise. — Filepic
Smokers are being urged to kick the habit in the new year after new analysis shows how much of their lives are lost by each cigarette smoked.
Men lose 17 minutes of life with every cigarette they smoke, while a woman’s life is cut short by 22 minutes with each cigarette, experts have estimated.
This is more than previous estimates, which suggest that each cigarette shortens a smoker’s life by 11 minutes.
The new estimates are based on more up-to-date figures from long-term studies tracking the health of the population.
Researchers from University College London (UCL) in Britain said that the harm caused by smoking is “cumulative”, and the sooner a person stops smoking, and the more cigarettes they avoid smoking, the longer they live.
The new analysis, commissioned by the British Department for Health and Social Care, suggests that if a 10-cigarettes-a-day smoker quits on Jan 1, then by Jan 8, they could “prevent loss of a full day of life”.
By Feb 20, their lives could be extended by a whole week.
And if their quitting is successful until Aug 5, they will likely live for a whole month longer than if they had continued to smoke.
The authors added: “Studies suggest that smokers typically lose about the same number of healthy years as they do total years of life.
“Thus, smoking primarily eats into the relatively healthy middle years rather than shortening the period at the end of life, which is often marked by chronic illness or disability.
“So a 60-year-old smoker will typically have the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker.”
The analysis, to be published in the Journal of Addiction, concludes: “We estimate that on average, smokers in Britain who do not quit lose approximately 20 minutes of life expectancy for each cigarette they smoke.
“This is time that would likely be spent in relatively good health.
“Stopping smoking at every age is beneficial, but the sooner smokers get off this escalator of death, the longer and healthier they can expect their lives to be.”
UCL Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group principal research fellow Dr Sarah Jackson said: “It is vital that people understand just how harmful smoking is and how much quitting can improve their health and life expectancy.
“The evidence suggests people lose, on average, around 20 minutes of life for each cigarette they smoke.
“The sooner a person stops smoking, the longer they live.
“Quitting at any age substantially improves health and the benefits start almost immediately.
“It’s never too late to make a positive change for your health and there are a range of effective products and treatments that can help smokers quit for good.”
British public health minister Andrew Gwynne said: “Smoking is an expensive and deadly habit, and these findings reveal the shocking reality of this addiction, highlighting how important it is to quit.
“The new year offers a perfect chance for smokers to make a new resolution and take that step.”
Commenting on the paper, Royal College of Physicians special adviser on tobacco Professor Dr Sanjay Agrawal said: “Every cigarette smoked costs precious minutes of life, and the cumulative impact is devastating, not only for individuals, but also for our healthcare system and economy.
“This research is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to address cigarette smoking as the leading preventable cause of death and disease in Britain.” – PA Media/dpa
