Women: Stop Smoking! Significant Health Risks Decrease Relatively Soon: New Study
Women who quit smoking lower their risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 47% within five years of smoking their last cigarette. The risks associated with dying from other smoking-related diseases also decreases, but after different lengths of time, depending on the disease. The findings are the result of new research recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
On average, a smoker's overall risk of dying returns to the level of a typical non-smoker approximately 20 years after his or her quitting date. Although regaining one's health does take a substantial length of time, researchers note that current smokers face a tripled overall death risk in comparison to non-smokers.
Authors of the study note that smoking continues to be the leading preventable cause of death in the U.S., causing lung cancer, heart disease, other cancers and respiratory diseases, as well. An estimated 3 million people in industrialized countries across the world will have died as a result of tobacco use by 2030.
Study data also revealed that women who started smoking early in life face a higher risk for developing any smoking-related disease, for overall mortality, and of dying from respiratory disease.
Researchers note that the study demonstrates the power of quitting smoking to improve one's health, but also advise that the effects of smoking on the heart precede that of the lungs, and that former smokers should be mindful that they still face an increased risk of lung cancer.
Previously on the DC Metro Area Medical Malpractice Law Blog, we have posted articles related to:
- A study indicating that a pleasurable first exposure to nicotine predicts addiction
- Evidence that young adolescent workers are among the most likely to begin smoking
- How smoking significantly increases the risk of breast cancer for young women
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