It doesn't matter how old you are or how long you've been smoking, quitting smoking at any time improves your health. When you quit, you are likely to add years to your life, breathe more easily, have more energy, and save money. You will also: Lower your risk of cancer, heart attack, stroke, and lung disease.
Although this may sound alarming, the good news is that it's never too late to stop smoking. Quitting smoking can immediately reduce your risk of cancer, triggering the lungs to repair themselves.
It's Never Too Late to Quit Smoking
Most seniors know that smoking is harmful, and may have even tried unsuccessfully to quit (often several times). Breaking free from the cigarette is a goal that still eludes thousands of elder smokers.
People who stop smoking by age 35 reduce almost 100% of the extra risk they had of dying from cancer or any other cause. “Our results clearly show harms from smoking and health benefits from quitting smoking among men and women of all racial ethnic groups and all ages, especially younger age groups.”
Life expectancy decreases by 13 years on average for heavy smokers compared to people who have never smoked. Moderate smokers (fewer than twenty cigarettes a day) lose an estimated 9 years, while light (intermittent) smokers lose 5 years.
We take a look at some stats... Researchers at 'Action on Smoking and Health' have reported that a 30-year-old smoker can expect to live about 35 more years, whereas a 30-year-old non-smoker can expect to live 53 more years.
The genetic sequences identified in healthy older smokers may have a protective effect, which is why they have survived despite the significant ill effects of their habit.
Many folks wonder: is it worth stopping smoking at 60? The answer is almost always yes. From heart rate to cancer risk, there are immediate benefits of quitting smoking. Even better, there are great long-term benefits even at those ages, too!
In early May, Fredie Blom's celebrated his 114th birthday, a feat that may make him the world's oldest living man — although official verification is still needed. In a recent interview with the BBC, Blom shared no particular secrets to his longevity and instead confessed to still be a lifetime daily smoker.
Within the first month after you quit smoking, your lung function will improve, and this will increase circulation, too. Within nine months, the cilia begin to function normally and symptoms like coughing and shortness of breath become less frequent.
Your lungs start healing right away when you quit smoking. If you are a smoker, please understand that you can potentially reverse years of damage caused by smoking if you stop today.
"People who stop smoking before the age of 50 cut the risk of dying in the next 15 years in half," says Michael Thun, of the American Cancer Society. This is compared to those who continue to smoke. So if you happen to be, say, 47, take note: There is a benefit in quitting.
Erectile function is directly proportional to the degree of exposure to smoking, and quitting smoking improves male sexual function in all age groups between 30-60 years of age regardless of pack-year and education level.
Background: Heavy smokers (those who smoke greater than or equal to 25 or more cigarettes a day) are a subgroup who place themselves and others at risk for harmful health consequences and also are those least likely to achieve cessation.
Most importantly, quitting smoking does make a substantial difference; in fact, none of the early quitters with complete follow up developed severe COPD even after 25 years and the number of deaths from COPD among those who were ex‐smokers was much lower (0.6%) than the number observed in smokers (2%).
If you quit smoking, whether you're 40, 50, 60, or 70, there is a great amount of data that says you will live more days and more years from that point forward. Dr.
But with others making it to 100 despite their smoking and drinking, scientists have long suspected it could be something in the genes that decides who lives long and who dies young. New research in Japan has found such a genetic link.
While drinking can be a threat to your health, smoking is certainly worse. Unlike alcohol at low or moderate levels, there is no benefit to tobacco use at any level. When you smoke, you inhale various chemicals that can injure cells, causing both cancer and artery damage (e.g. heart attacks and strokes).
When you quit smoking, you make your skin more resistant to premature aging. As for the wrinkles and age spots you already have, all is not lost. Keri, the University of Miami dermatologist, says there are products former smokers can use to make their skin look better.
8 hours – The nicotine levels in your system have dropped by over 90%. Slight anxiety and craving can occur but it's not lasting. 12 hours – Blood oxygenation is normal – nearing the levels of that of a non-smoker. 24 hours – Your systems are now nearly completely nicotine-free.
Even one cigarette a week is bad for your health. Each cigarette you smoke exposes you to nicotine and other harmful chemicals and increases your risk for heart disease and cancer. The negative effects of smoking add up over the course of your life.
"Our data suggest that these individuals may have survived for so long in spite of their heavy smoking because they managed to suppress further mutation accumulation." They may simply have "very proficient systems for repairing DNA damage or detoxifying cigarette smoke," he said.
Overall, the result is that middle-aged smokers often have as many wrinkles as non-smokers who are 60 or older. It's estimated that smoking 30 cigarettes a day could make your skin age an extra 14 years by the time you hit 70.
Seemingly, in the medical world and beyond, it is universally agreed upon that smoking reduces longevity, and often diminishes the quality of life in one's final years. However, less known are the detrimental effects of smokeless tobacco and secondhand smoke.