American Cancer Society sets Nov. 19 as annual day to 'butt out' for good
Jump to full article: HealthDay [HealthScout], 2009-11-19
Intro: The less you smoke, the more birthdays you'll have, says the American Cancer Society as it encourages smokers to quit on Thursday, the day of the 34th Great American Smokeout.
Research shows that smokers who quit at age 35 gain an average of eight years of life expectancy, and those who quit at 55 gain about five years. Even long-time smokers who quit at age 65 gain three years.
Smokers who quit before age 50 cut their risk of death within the next 15 years in half compared to people who continue to smoke. In addition, a former smoker's lung cancer risk 10 years after quitting smoking is about half that of someone who still smokes, the society said.
There are immediate health benefits, too. Heart rate and blood pressure decrease 20 minutes after people have their last cigarette.
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