Smokers often wonder how many years of life they would gain if they quit smoking now? Is it worth the effort? We have the answer.
There is always an excuse for not quitting cigarettes, such as: “I am still young, and I will stop smoking later without any problem,” or “I am old, the damage has already been done,” or “I know a man who died at the age of 95 and smoked for the rest of his life.” “.
A study published this year debunks all these baseless beliefs and presents arguments showing the benefits of quitting tobacco at different stages of life.
The research, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, measured the effect of smoking on life expectancy between the ages of 35 and 75 years. The analysis was divided into 10-year time periods to determine the potential benefits of smoking cessation in each decade. The results show that although the positive effects diminish over time, there are still significant gains in older adults.
“The benefit of quitting smoking is not limited to young and middle-aged adults,” said Kenneth Warner, a researcher in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Michigan School of Public Health and author of the research. “This study shows that it can be applied to older adults as well.” While the benefits of smoking cessation are “Quitting smoking at an older age may seem low in absolute terms, but it represents a large proportion of a person’s remaining life expectancy.”
Years of life lost due to smoking
Quitting smoking at age 75 can significantly increase your life expectancy. This is the main conclusion of the new study.
The figures show: The chances of gaining at least one year of lifespan among those who quit smoking at age 65 are 23.4%, but they remain significant beyond that age: 14.2% at age 75.
By age group, compared to people who have never smoked, those who have smoked all their adult lives and are currently at the following ages lose the following number of years:
- A smoker at the age of 35 will lose 9.1 years of his life on average
- A smoker at the age of 45 will lose 8.3 years of his life
- A smoker at the age of 55 will lose 7.3 years of his life
- If a smoker reaches the age of 65, he will lose 5.9 years of his life
- A smoker at the age of 75 will lose 4.4 years of his life
How many years will a person gain if he quits smoking?
Next: How many years will a smoker gain if he quits smoking, according to his age:
- A smoker who quits smoking at the age of 35 will gain 8 years of life on average
- A smoker who quits smoking at the age of 45 will gain 5.6 years of life
- A smoker at the age of 55 who quits smoking will gain 3.4 years of life
- A smoker at the age of 65 who quits smoking will gain 1.7 years of life
- A smoker at the age of 75 who quits smoking will gain 0.7 years of life
Here are some of the most important facts that support the idea that it is never too late to quit smoking:
- Nearly 10% of people who quit smoking at age 65 gain at least 8 years of lifespan compared to those who do not.
- 8% of people who quit smoking at the age of 75 years gain at least 4 years of lifespan compared to those who continue to smoke.
- The average life expectancy of a 75-year-old smoker is 9 years. If this person stopped smoking, he or she would regain (on average) 0.7 years (7.8% of life expectancy).
- Various studies on the health effects of quitting smoking show tangible benefits in the short and long term.
- In the short term, improvements in lung and cardiovascular health are observed. After one year of not smoking, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease decreases by up to 50%.
- In the long term, people who have not smoked for decades have a significantly lower risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and tobacco-related cancers than individuals of the same age who continue to smoke. Specifically, the risk of developing lung cancer is 30-50% lower after 10 years.
- After 15-20 years, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer of the lung, throat, esophagus and bladder becomes equal to that of non-smokers.