A recent study conducted by researchers from the University College of London found that smoking one single cigarette can reduce the life expectancy of an individual by 20 minutes on average. The study published in the Journal of Addiction says that a single cigarette reduced life expectancy of men by 17 minutes and women by 22 minutes.
The study said that if a person who smokes 10 cigarettes a day quits smoking on January 1, 2025, they can reduce the loss of a full day of life by January 8. By February 5, they can increase their life expectancy by a week and a month by August 5. Also, they can reduce the loss of 50 days of life if they avoid smoking the entire year.
Dr Sarah Jackson, principal research fellow at UCL’s alcohol and tobacco research group said, "People generally know that smoking is harmful but tend to underestimate just how much.
"On average, smokers who don’t quit lose around a decade of life. That’s 10 years of precious time, life moments, and milestones with loved ones."
Speaking to The Guardian, Jackson said, "Some people might think they don’t mind missing out on a few years of life, given that old age is often marked by chronic illness or disability. But smoking doesn’t cut short the unhealthy period at the end of life." She further added, "It primarily eats into the relatively healthy years in midlife, bringing forward the onset of ill-health. This means a 60-year-old smoker will typically have the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker."
The authors of the study said that smokers must quit completely to get the health benefits. Smoking is known to be the cause of several health conditions such as heart disease and stroke. Smoking increases the risk of these conditions by nearly 50%.
The authors of the study said, "Stopping smoking at every age is beneficial, but the sooner smokers get off this escalator of death the longer and healthier they can expect their lives to be."
The study used the latest data from the British Doctors Study which began in 1951 as one of the world’s first large studies into the effects of smoking and the Million Women Study which has tracked the health of women since 1996.
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