It’s Never Too Late to Quit

Photo credit: http://joshua-graham.com/

                 Lifelong cigarette smokers die on average 10 years earlier than nonsmokers. However, a 50-year British medical study indicates that it is never too late to kick the habit. In fact, if you quit by age 35, you can add 10 years to your life! Isn’t it hopeful?

                To learn more about these latest findings on the benefits of quitting, we contacted Truls Ostbye, MD, PhD, professor and vice-chair in the department of community and family medicine at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. In a similar study at Duke, Dr. Ostbye found that people in their 50’s who had quit smoking 15 years or more earlier had similar life expectancies, and they could expect to live healthy lives for the same number of years, as those who never smoked. So, it’s never too late to quit smoking. Many people in my country deceived about this habit because they thought that they already spent much, so it’s too late to quit smoking.

ADD YEARS TO YOUR LIFE

                According to the British study, which tracked nearly 35,000 doctors from 1951 to 2001, 42% of those who start smoking at a young age die early (before age 70) from smoking-related diseases, such as lung cancer, heart disease, cancers of the mouth, throat and esophagus, and respiratory diseases including emphysema.

                The good news? Researchers also found that…

•          If you quit smoking around age 40, you can add nine years to your life.
•          Quitting at age 50 adds an additional six years to your life.
•          Even at age 60. Kicking the habit can add three years to your life.

These results were published in a recent issue of the British Medical Journal.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO QUIT

        As you grow older, the difference in years of healthy life between smokers and those who quit gets smaller-but Dr. Ostbye emphasizes that advantages do persist. Even in the oldest age group considered by Duke researchers-those ages 80 to 84-the difference was approximately one year.

        Now for the hard part-how do you quit? Dr. Ostbye acknowledges the difficulties. For those who need encouragement, here it is -when you quit smoking, you gain years of healthy life to spend with your family and friends.

        The sooner the better, but it’s never too late. Never give up! As the saying goes “Here, if you quit, you WIN!”.

References:

Truls Ostbye, MD, MPH, PhD, professor and vice-chair, department of community and family medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC.