Here's some additional motivation for those looking to quit smoking as part of their New Year's resolutions. Research published this week found that each cigarette you smoke shortens your life by nearly half an hour.
Scientists from University College London conducted the study. This is an update on previous assessments of how damaging smoking can be. From the latest information They calculated that one cigarette would wipe out approximately twenty minutes of the average person's life. Researchers say the findings highlight the importance of quitting smoking as soon as possible.
Numerous studies and sad anecdotes have confirmed this. Set the time of smoking– Smoking can damage almost every organ. and increases the risk of life-threatening health problems such as emphysema, heart disease, and lung and mouth cancer. But researchers at UCL want to better quantify the dangers of smoking on our lifespans using the latest data. exists
Study of British smokers in 2000 approximately Each cigarette costs an average person about 11 minutes of life. However, this estimate is based on assumptions made only from data on men, such as studies that track the average age of men who smoke when they smoke. Died Compared to non-smokers, researchers at UCL were also able to analyze data from female smokers in the UK. They also analyzed the latest data on the deaths of British men. along with information on the average number of people currently smoking cigarettes
Overall, after adjusting for other factors such as wealth, Researchers estimate that people who never stop smoking lose 10 to 11 years of life expectancy compared to non-smokers. This is higher than previous estimates of 6.5 life years. They also estimated that each cigarette costs an average of 20 minutes of life, with men 17 minutes and women 22 minutes.
Researchers noted that most of the stolen minutes came from the person's middle-aged and healthier years. Not at the end of life In other words Smokers often experience the normal health problems of aging during the same period. But it gets to that point sooner. For example, researchers emphasize that a 60-year-old lifelong smoker can be expected to be as generally healthy as a 70-year-old non-smoker.
“This is time that would likely be spent in relatively good health,” the researchers wrote in their paper. published Sunday in the journal addicted to drugs–
The findings still depend on certain assumptions about the dangers of smoking. This is a danger that is not equally distributed among everyone. Not all smokers can develop lung cancer. Today's cigarettes contain less tar than ever before. Decades agoTherefore, current smokers may be exposed to fewer toxins than before. That said, cigarettes “Low tar” does not appear. of the lower class very much Risk of cancer or other problems (one reason might be that smokers tend to smoke more cigarettes to get more nicotine)
Fortunately, the average person smokes less than ever before. This helps reduce the number of cancer patients and deaths. But smoking and second-hand smoke are Still estimating To help cause nearly half a million deaths in the United States every year alone. Although damage from smoking can permanently shorten lifespan, But it's still worth quitting, no matter how old you are. Researchers say But the sooner you quit, the better.
“There are benefits to stopping smoking at any age. But the sooner a smoker gets off the escalator of death, the better. The longer and healthier they can expect their lives to be,” they wrote.