Quitting smoking cigarettes beneficial to health regardless of age, study shows

A first-of-its-kind study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, has shown that the cessation of cigarette smoking can increase life expectancy, regardless of age. 

In the study, researchers at the University of Michigan School of Public Health analysed average death rates by age and smoking status, comparing people who had never smoked, people who had smoked but quit and people who smoked throughout their adult lives. The results showed that compared to those who never smoked, participants who had smoked throughout their lives or currently smoked up to ages 35, 45, 55, 65, and 75 would lose 9.1, 8.3, 7.3, 5.9, and 4.4 years of life on average, respectively, if they continued the habit.

The study also showed that adults who quit smoking at each of these ages avoided an average loss of 8.0, 5.6, 3.4, 1.7, and 0.7 years.

“We have seen a remarkable decline in young adult smoking over the past decade,” said Dr Thuy T.T. Le, PhD, who conducted the study. “However, rates among older adults who smoke have remained stagnant and to our knowledge, no research had established the benefits for them of quitting. We wanted to show that stopping smoking is beneficial at any age and provide an incentive for older people who smoke to quit.”

The harmful effects of cigarette smoke, which contains thousands of toxic chemicals, extend to almost all organs in the body, and are linked to numerous cancers, stroke, heart disease, and lung disease. According to the Office for National Statistics, in 2022 12.9% of people aged 18 years and over, or around 6.4 million people, smoked cigarettes. While this is the lowest proportion of current smokers since records began in 2011, NHS data shows there were estimated to be 74,600 deaths attributable to smoking in 2019.

 “The cessation benefit is not limited to young and middle-aged adults who smoke; this study demonstrates its applicability to seniors as well,” said Dr Warner, study co-author. “While the gains from quitting at older ages may seem low in absolute values, they represent a large proportion of an individual’s remaining life expectancy.”