Frequently Asked Questions About Smoking
Will smoking shorten my life?
Smoking generally results in 15 years of loss of expected life. Approximately 50 percent of deaths due to smoking happen before the smoker reaches age 70. People ages 70 and older who die because of smoking lose an average of eight years of life expectancy. In fact, annual tobacco-related mortality is expected to increase from 3 million in 1990 to 8.4 million in 2020.
Will I gain weight if I quit smoking? If so, isn’t that a comparable health concern?
Maybe. Smoking cessation is correlated with weight gain; however, the risk of smoking is a far greater health concern than any benefits you may get from smoking. You’d be much better off gaining a few pounds than continuing to smoke.
For those who are concerned about weight gain, the good news is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Zyban® (bupropion) in 1997 as the first non-nicotine treatment available for smoking cessation. Data suggests that people who take Zyban® tend not to gain weight when they quit smoking. Some people even reported weight loss.
One study showed that nicotine lowers the body weight set point. Researchers compared smokers and nonsmokers and found that nicotine accelerated displeasure to certain foods when compared with nonsmokers. This may actually cause a lower body weight set point and subsequent weight loss. This study suggested that the weight gain, which occurs after quitting smoking, is actually a regain of the body weight to its original set point.
If I have smoked for more than 20 years, does it really matter if I quit now?
Quitting is the best thing smokers can do to enhance the quality and length of their lives. The health benefits of quitting are experienced by all smokers—men and women, young and old, those who are well and those who already have smoking-related disease. The moment you stop smoking, your body begins to heal itself. Former smokers live longer than continuing smokers. Those who quit before age 50 have only half the risk of dying in the next 15 years compared with those who continue to smoke.
What are the specific health benefits of quitting?
The health benefits of quitting start almost immediately. Within 20 minutes after you smoke your last cigarette your blood pressure and pulse rate decrease to normal and your body temperature increases to normal. Other benefits include:
Time after last cigarette* |
Health benefit |
8 hours |
Carbon monoxide levels in blood drop and oxygen levels increase to normal |
24 hours |
Chance of heart attack decreases |
48 hours |
Food tastes and smells better |
2 weeks to 9 months |
Coughing, congestion, tiredness and shortness of breath decrease; overall energy increases |
1 year |
Risk of heart disease is half that of a smoker |
5 years-10 to 15 years |
Chance of lung cancer decreases by almost half; risk of dying is similar to someone who has never smoked |
*Times will vary depending on how long and how much you have smoked.
Benefits for women
- If all women quit smoking during pregnancy, about 5 percent of deaths among newborn infants could be prevented.
- Women who stop smoking before becoming pregnant or during the first trimester of pregnancy reduce their risk of having a low-birth-weight baby to that of women who have never smoked.
- It takes female smokers longer to get pregnant than nonsmokers. Women who quit smoking before trying to get pregnant are as likely to get pregnant as women who have never smoked.
Benefits for men
- Smoking has been associated with impotence. Reversal of this condition is possible after smoking cessation.
- Physical stamina will increase.
- Cancer risk is decreased.
By Mark S. Gold, MD, Michele Tullis, MS, Drew Edwards, MS
© 1999 University of Florida McKnight Brain Institute |
