A recent study reveals that smoking a single cigarette can shave up to 22 minutes off your life expectancy.
A University College London (UCL) research team assessed tobacco’s harmful effects. The study, commissioned by the UK’s Department of Health, was based on recent medical data.
The findings showed that smoking one cigarette reduces life expectancy by approximately 17 minutes for men and 22 minutes for women.
This new estimate is nearly double that of a previous study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) in 2000, which calculated that each cigarette cost smokers 11 minutes of life.
To put this into perspective, a person who smokes half a pack (10 cigarettes) daily could gain a full day of life expectancy by abstaining from January 1 to 8th. Over a year, this same smoker would avoid losing 50 days of life.
It’s important to note that quitting smoking doesn’t guarantee longevity, and some smokers do live long lives. However, the research team cautioned that many individuals, some as young as their 40s, die from smoking-related illnesses.
“People generally know that smoking is harmful but tend to underestimate just how much,” explained Dr. Sarah Jackson, the study’s lead researcher. “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 research team emphasized that smokers must quit smoking altogether to maintain their health for a relatively long time and avoid a shortened life expectancy. They stressed, “There is no safe level of smoking.”
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