A study recent study from University College London (UCL) highlights the devastating impact of smoking on human life expectancy. The study, commissioned by the British government, reveals that each cigarette smoked reduces a person’s life expectancy by 20 minutes on average, a figure significantly higher than previous estimates of 11 minutes per cigarette[1].
The study, commissioned by the Department of Health, is based on the most recent data from the British Doctors Study, which began in 1951. This is considered one of the world’s first major studies of effects of smoking. Added to this are data from the Million Women Study, which has been tracking changes in women’s health since 1996.
Smoking reduces life expectancy by 10 to 15 years
The British study found notable gender differences. For women, the average reduction in life expectancy is 22 minutes per cigarette, compared to 17 minutes for men. Each pack of 20 cigarettes smoked represents the equivalent of 7 hours of life lost.
According to the analysis, if a smoker consuming 10 cigarettes a day quits smoking on January 1, he could gain a day of life in the space of 8 days on January 8. The smoker could increase his life expectancy by a week if he stopped smoking until February 5 and by a whole month if he stopped smoking until August 5. By the end of the year, he could have avoided losing 50 days of life, according to the assessment. “People generally know that smoking is harmful, but they tend to underestimate the extent of this phenomenon”said Dr Sarah Jackson, lead researcher at UCL’s Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, “on average, a smoker loses 10 years of life expectancy compared to a non-smoker”[2].
The authors also point out that smoking considerably reduces healthy life expectancy, specifying “Smoking promotes the appearance of health problems. This means that a 60-year-old smoker will generally have the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker.”
Immediate effects on health after stopping
Researchers pointed out that the earlier a person quits smoking, the greater the health benefits, although quitting remains beneficial regardless of age.
The benefits are also immediate after stopping. Twenty minutes after the last cigarette, the heart rate slows and oxygen flows more freely to the heart and lungs. In addition to reducing cerebral and cardiovascular risks, stopping smoking brings many other benefits. It helps reduce the risk of contracting certain cancers; it strengthens the immune system and greatly improves respiratory capacity. It is also very beneficial for people who have already developed health problems linked to their smoking. Smokers who stop smoking after a heart attack reduce the risk of another attack by 50%.
The authors also emphasize that smokers should quit smoking completely to reduce health risks. Previous work has shown that there is no safe level of smoking and that even consumption limited to one cigarette per day poses risks.
The UK government’s efforts to achieve a tobacco-free generation
The British government reminds that any smoker who is considering quitting by 2025 can find advice, support and resources through the “NHS Quit Smoking” app. The latter has recently been updated and provides new information to counter cravings. She also offers the Personal Quit Plan online, which tailors her advice to each smoker’s preferences.
This new report coincides with the UK government’s efforts to reduce smoking through the new Tobacco and Vaping Act. The proposed measures include, among others, the extension of the current ban on smoking inside buildings to outdoor spaces such as playgrounds, schools and hospitals. Disposable vapes should be banned from June 2025. Restrictions on advertising and packaging of new products aimed at limiting nicotine initiation among young people should come into force. The bill on tobacco and vaping products also proposes to gradually raise the legal minimum age for selling cigarettes to a person. This means that anyone born after January 1, 2009 could be permanently banned from purchasing tobacco products.
©Tobacco Free Generation
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[1] Press release, Quit for a week and save a day, say health experts, British government website, published on December 30, 2024, consulted the same day
[2] Ian Sample, Single cigarette takes 20 minutes off life expectancy, study finds, The Guardian, published December 30, 2024, accessed the same day
National Committee Against Smoking |
