Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → News

Quitting smoking is very good for you. Cutting back, not so much

Even a single cigarette can be very bad for you.

Mihai Andrei by Mihai Andrei
May 22, 2018
in Health, News

A new study once again concludes that reducing smoking doesn’t even close to as many benefits as quitting does.

Cigarette smoking harms nearly every organ of the body, causes many diseases, and reduces the health of smokers in general — that’s the first thing the CDC website says about smoking. Smoking causes about 90% of lung cancers and can cause cancers in mouth, lips, throat, bladder, kidney, liver, stomach, pancreas — you name it, smoking damages it. Smoking also drastically increases your risk of developing conditions such as coronary heart disease or a heart attack, while also damaging your lungs in a number of ways. Okay, you probably get it by now: smoking is really bad for you. Unfortunately, 1.1 billion smokers worldwide don’t get it, or at least, they don’t care enough.

Thankfully, more and more people are starting to give up smoking (also, more and more people are picking it up, but that’s a different story).

Quitting smoking is never easy. In fact, as millions of people can likely attest, it’s extremely challenging. This is why some are content with only cutting down on smoking. But that, researchers say, just doesn’t work.

In a new study, scientists analyzed data collected over 30 years from 3,140 participants in the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Participants underwent periodic spirometry to assess lung function and a chest CT scans 15, 20 and 25 years after enrolling.

“The CARDIA dataset gave us a unique opportunity to learn about the impact of different levels of smoking on lung health and lung disease risk,” said lead author Dr. Amanda Mathew, research assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Participants were asked about their smoking each year, which minimized recall bias and allowed us to model changes in smoking habits over time.”

Unsurprisingly, heavy smokers experienced the greatest decline across all groups: they were 26x more likely to develop emphysema and nearly 8x more likely to develop obstructive lung disease than non-smokers.

Researchers also analyzed the impacts of light smoking, defined as less than 10 cigarettes per day, comparing it to former smokers who have quit. They found that even heavy smokers who quit fare much better than active light smokers.

“We were surprised to find that those who quit had lower disease risk than the group we identified as stable, low-rate smokers, even though those who quit had a greater lifetime exposure to cigarettes,” Dr. Mathew said.

Light smokers are often ignored in clinical trials, but this is not the first study to find that light smoking does not have light consequences. A recent study found that just one cigarette a day can be devastating for your health, while another review concluded that alcohol and tobacco are the two biggest health culprits in society. For smokers, the take-home message is clear:

“There is no safe threshold of smoking on lung health,” she concludes.

Findings will be presented at the ATS 2018 International Conference.

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Smoking thins vital part of the brain – quitting reverses the effect
  2. Benefits of quitting smoking offset weight gain in people with diabetes
  3. Eating food rich in protein can boost cardiovascular health as much as exercise or quitting smoking
  4. Anti-smoking images on cigarette packs are twice as effective than text-only, ‘smoking kills’ labels
  5. Now’s the perfect time to quit smoking: COVID-19 and smoking can be a killer combination
Tags: cigarettessmoking

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW