It’s never too late to give up smoking

We all know the dangers of smoking and yet if you have been a smoker all your life you may be of the inclination to believe that the damage has already been done so ‘why give up now?’

The truth is that it’s never too late to give up smoking and what is a relatively ‘common sense’ point-of-view has recently been backed up with research.

The research was carried out by three researchers from the German Cancer Research Centre in Heidelberg and was based on a review of previous studies link to smoking and age. These studies had been conducted from all round the world and involved follow-up periods of between three to 50 years.

The results of the study, which were published on Time.com, showed that smokers aged 60 and over were 83% more likely to die that those who had never smoked.

By comparison, those that were 60 an over and who had smoked but given up, were a comparatively less 34% more likely to die than somebody who had never smoked.

The conclusion of the research was therefore that smokers aged 60 and over could decrease their chances of premature death by 28% by giving up smoking.

Even at the age of 80 and over, those who have been smoking all their life and choose to give up the habit, will, according to Dr. Tai Hing Lam of Hong Kong University, reduce the risk of premature death by 24%.

In his report on smoking and age, Dr. Lam concludes:

“Many older smokers misbelieve that they are too old to quit or to benefit from quitting. Because of reverse casuality and from seeing deaths of old friends who had quit recently, some misbelieve that quitting could be harmful. A simple, direct, strong and evidence-based warning is needed.”

“Even older people who smoked for a lifetime without negative health consequences should be encouraged and supported to quit smoking.”