It is researchers at University College London (UCL) who have come up with the result. According to calculations, someone who smokes ten cigarettes a day and quits on January 1 can extend their life by 50 days the first year without smoking.
Generally, people know that smoking is harmful but tend to underestimate how much, says Sarah Jackson, researcher at UCL, to The Guardian.
Major risk factor
Smoking is globally one of the largest risk factors for ill health and premature death. On average, a smoker shortens their life by ten years, according to the researchers. Only in the UK, around 80,000 people die each year due to smoking.
An earlier estimate from the beginning of the millennium shows that one cigarette shortens life by eleven minutes. But the study, commissioned by the British health department, shows that it is rather an average of 20 minutes – 17 minutes for men and 22 minutes for women.
Affects healthy years
Some people think it doesn't matter if they shorten their life by a few years. But smoking doesn't primarily affect the last years of one's life, the researchers argue.
It primarily affects the relatively healthy years in middle age and accelerates the onset of ill health. This means that a 60-year-old smoker will have a health status equivalent to a 70-year-old non-smoker, says Sarah Jackson.
The researchers emphasize that smokers must quit completely to be able to improve their health and life expectancy. Previous studies have shown that there is no safe way to smoke. The risk of heart and vascular diseases and stroke is only 50 percent lower for people who smoke one cigarette a day compared to those who smoke a whole pack a day.
