Cigarettes Cut About 10 Years Off Life, 50-Year Study Shows
Fifty years after British researchers published the first study firmly linking cigarette smoking to lung cancer, the same scientist following the same group of subjects has reported the most detailed and long-term results ever of the health effects of smoking. His stark conclusion: A life of cigarette smoking will be, on average, 10 years shorter than a life without it.
While the lethal effects of cigarette smoking have long been known, the new study, published yesterday in the British Medical Journal, is the first to quantify the damage over the lifetime of a generation. The effects, the researchers reported, were “much larger than had previously been suspected.”
In the 50-year study of a group of almost 35,000 British doctors who smoked, the pioneering epidemiologist Richard Doll, who is now 91, and his colleagues found that almost half of all persistent cigarette smokers were killed by their habit, and a quarter died before age 70.
The study also found, however, that kicking the cigarette habit has equally dramatic effects. He found, for instance, that someone who stops smoking by age 30 has the same average life expectancy as a nonsmoker, and that someone who stops at 50 will lose four, rather than 10, years of life.
I do my best to get everyone to stop smoking – both patients and friends. My efforts are worthwhile. Smoking cessation, while difficult, has great benefits.
This article only refers to mortality. Cigarette smoking also often decreases quality of life. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, coronary artery disease, and congestive heart failure all impair quality of life prior to causing death. I use all this information to encourage smoking cessation.
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5 Responses to 10 years is a long time
RGL
June 24th, 2004 at 8:43 pm
This is a groundbreaking study which reinforces all we have known about cigarette smoking for sometime. What makes it even more compelling is we now have figures to present to patients when we talk about smoking cessation.
Regardless of the statistics, I have a hunch there will be a stubborn bunch among us who will will care less if they don’t live as long as non-smokers. We have seen it in many other instances, but it is their personal decision.
Nevertheless, this study is something we ought to post in bulletin boards in every physician’s office. Ten years is a lot of time most of us would treasure.
poormedicalstudent
June 24th, 2004 at 9:24 pm
ten years is quite a long time, and most individuals who have come of age in the last generation will understand what this means. however, as the above poster stated, most who have been smoking long enough will simply say “bah, still gonna give it up. father lived to 90, etc”.
interesting study.
phil morris
June 29th, 2004 at 6:46 pm
Tell patients smoking causes impotence, which it does.
rachel kleinerman
July 1st, 2004 at 3:18 pm
might you be interested in linking to American Council on Science and Health’s (www.acsh.org) editorial on smoking? This is the link:
http://www.acsh.org/factsfears/newsID.390/news_detail.asp
PRIMARY CARE@TAIWAN
July 31st, 2004 at 9:33 am
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