|
Basic InformationMore InformationLatest NewsAlcoholics Who Smoke May Face Early Brain AgingMost Americans Say 'No' to Smoking in Their Homes, CarsSchool-Based Smoking Prevention Programs WorkNo Drop in Teens' Use of 'Smokeless' Tobacco'Nonsmoking' Hotel Rooms May Not Fully Protect GuestsWomen Smokers More Likely to Get Colon Cancer Than Men: StudySecondhand Smoke Tied to Lower 'Good' Cholesterol in Teen GirlsKids' Smoking Influences May Change Over TimeSmoking Water Pipes Is Not a Safe Cigarette AlternativeEven Light Smoking Increases Risk of RA Among WomenBrain Stimulation Reduces Smoking CravingsU.S. Supreme Court Rejects Challenge to New Cigarette LabelingSmoking Bans in Public Housing Could Save Dollars, Lives: CDCTo Stop Smoking, Teens Should Start MovingSmoking Raises Asbestos Workers' Cancer Risk, Study SaysSmoking on Waking Increases Risk of Lung and Oral CancersSmoking Worsens Outcomes With Advanced Colon CancerMost Doctors Don't Help Lung Cancer Patients Quit Smoking: SurveyFDA Gives Nod to Longer Use of Nicotine Patch, GumCDC Launches New Graphic Antismoking AdsGenes May Dictate Teens' Susceptibility to Heavy SmokingU.S. Abandons Effort to Place Graphic Labeling on CigarettesPeople With Mental Illness Make Up Large Share of U.S SmokersHealth Tip: Stay Busy When Quitting SmokingQuitting Cigarettes Cuts Heart Risks, Even If You Gain WeightSecondhand Smoke Linked to Early Heart Disease, Study FindsOne in Five U.S. Smokers Has Tried an 'E-Cigarette'More Evidence That Smoking Raises Breast Cancer RiskYouth Smoking, Obesity May Lead to Early DeathDrinking Can Derail Women's Efforts to Quit SmokingSmoking Rates Much Higher Among the Mentally Ill: CDCSmoking Still Takes a Heavy Toll in U.S., CDC FindsQuitting Smoking Before Cancer Surgery Best, Study FindsSmoking Cuts Life Expectancy by More Than 10 YearsWomen's Smoking Deaths at All-Time High in U.S.Many Americans Back Nicotine Restrictions in Cigarettes: SurveyPictures Speak Louder Than Words on Cigarette LabelingHeavy Smoking May Raise Odds for Lethal Bladder CancerMost Teens Support Tough Smoking Bans: SurveyHealth Tip: Talk to Kids About SmokingRecent Ex-Smokers May Fare Worse After Heart Bypass: StudyDrug May Help Women Who Quit Smoking Avoid Weight GainSecondhand Smoke Affects Many Living in Multiunit HousingSmoking Deadlier For HIV Patients Than Virus Itself: StudyMillions of Nonsmokers Exposed to Smoke From Neighbors' Apartments: ReportPricey Cigarettes, Strict Schools Help Curb Teen SmokingStop-Smoking Drug Chantix May Carry Heart Risks, FDA WarnsAny Amount of Smoking Ups Sudden Cardiac Death in WomenEven Light Smoking Boosts Women's Risk of Sudden Heart Death: StudyU.S. Task Force Urges Docs to Counsel Kids Against Smoking Questions and AnswersLinksBook Reviews |
| |
Quitting Smoking Even in Old Age Prolongs Life: Study
by -- Robert Preidt
Updated: Jun 11th 2012
MONDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) -- There's yet more evidence that smoking cuts life expectancy, with a new study that finds the habit increases the risk of early death from all causes among older smokers.
There was good news, though: Quitting, even late in life, helps reduce the risk.
One expert not connected with the study agreed with that finding.
"Smoking cessation is important to improve life quality, and will have a benefit whenever it is done -- although the sooner the better," said Dr. Michael Niederman, chairman of the department of medicine at Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, N.Y.
The review of data involved findings from 17 studies from seven countries (Australia, China, England, Japan, France, Spain and the United States) published between 1987 and 2011. People in the study were followed for between three and 50 years.
Compared to nonsmokers aged 60 and older, smokers had an 83 percent increased risk of death from all causes during the study period, said researchers led by Carolin Gellert of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg.
Proving that it's always a good idea to quit, former smokers had 34 percent higher odds for death than that of those who never smoked -- still an increase in risk, but much lower than that of current smokers.
The team also found that survival seemed to rise along with the amount of time since a person quit smoking, even at an older age.
The study was published June 11 in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine.
Another expert said that although the findings were "not surprising," there are lessons to be learned from the data.
"In my experience, individuals who have smoked for several decades are less interested in quitting and are less likely to be encouraged to quit by their health-care providers," said Patricia Folan, director of the Center for Tobacco Control at the North Shore-LIJ Health System in Great Neck, N.Y. "There seems to be the sense that if they have made this far -- 60, 70, 80 -- they do not need to quit."
But the new data suggests otherwise, and the findings "may provide incentive for older smokers to quit and encourage providers to target this group of smokers for cessation efforts," Folan said.
Dr. Tai Hing Lam, chairman of the department of community medicine at the University of Hong Kong, echoed those sentiments in an accompanying journal commentary.
"Most smokers grossly underestimate their own risks. Many older smokers misbelieve that they are too old to quit or too old to benefit from quitting," he said. "Simple, direct, strong and evidence-based warning is needed."
More information
The American Lung Association has more about smoking and older adults.
This article: Copyright © 2012 HealthDay. All rights reserved. |
