Smoking cessation, the process of quitting smoking, lowers the risk of several health issues, including lung cancer and cardiovascular disease. Public health initiatives tout the benefits of quitting cessation, and the data supporting the positive health effects can motivate long-term smokers to quit. However, much of the scientific research showcasing the interaction between smoking cessation and health occurred several years ago. Further, our current landscape of scientific evidence on the benefits of smoking cessation excluded people over the age of 65, a group of patients where close to 10% smoke.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine sought to understand the effect of smoking cessation on individuals of different ages. The study employed a robust methodology, obtaining data from various reliable sources, including the Cancer Prevention Study II, the 2018 National Health Interview Survey, 2018 United States census data, and 2018 United States mortality rates. The study put subjects into three groups: never smokers, current smokers, and former smokers. The researchers then looked at how long people in each group were likely to live and how this changed if they quit smoking at different ages.
The analysis revealed that compared to never smokers, current smokers aged 35 who have smoked throughout adulthood lost an average of 9.1 years of life if they continue smoking for the rest of their life. Likewise, current smokers aged 45, 55, 65, or 75 who continue smoking lost 8.3, 7.3, 5.9, and 4.4 life years compared to never smokers.
Remarkably, the study delved into the potential life-extending benefits of quitting smoking at each age. They discovered that quitting smoking at 35, 45, 55, 65, or 75 could save 8.0, 5.6, 3.4, 1.7, and 0.7 years of life loss, respectively. Even those who quit smoking later in life had promising odds of gaining at least one year of life. This finding should reassure you that it's never too late to make a positive change. Quitting smoking at age 65 resulted in a 23.4% chance of gaining at least one year, and even those who quit smoking at 75 still had a 14.2% chance of gaining at least one year.
This study delivers a powerful message, providing encouraging data that supports the health benefits of smoking cessation, even in older adults who have smoked their entire adult life. Notably, experts estimate over 125,000 lung cancer-related mortalities in 2024. As lung cancer accounts for the highest cancer-related death in both men and women, any effort to slowing the fetal effects of the disease through smoking cessation will have a significant impact on public health and survivorship.
Sources: Am J Prev Med, Nicotine Tob Res, Eu Heart Dis, JAMA Health For, CA Cancer J Clin
