English Tamil

Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking

  • Improves health status and enhances quality of life
  • Reduces the risk of premature death and can add as much as 10 years to life expectancy
  • Reduces the risk for many adverse health effects, including poor reproductive health outcomes, cardiovascular diseases, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and cancer
  • Benefits people already diagnosed with coronary heart disease or COPD
  • Benefits the health of pregnant women and their fetuses and babies
  • Reduces the financial burden that smoking places on people who smoke, healthcare systems and society

Quitting smoking is the single best way to protect family members, coworkers, friends and others from the health risks associated with breathing second-hand smoke.

Cardiovascular Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking

#

Reduces the risk of disease and death from cardiovascular disease

Leads to rapid improvement in cholesterol levels

Reduces the risk of coronary heart disease

Reduces the risk of disease and death from stroke

Reduces the risk of swelling of main blood vessel (aorta) that runs from the heart down through the chest and abdomen

May reduce the risk of sudden cardiac death and heart failure

Quitting smoking after a diagnosis of coronary heart disease:

  • Reduces the risk of premature death
  • Reduces the risk of death from heart disease
  • Reduces the risk of having a first heart attack or another heart attack

Respiratory Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking

#

Reduces the risk of developing COPD

Among COPD patients, slows the disease progression and reduces the loss of lung function over time

Reduces respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, sputum production, wheezing)

Reduces respiratory infections (e.g., bronchitis, pneumonia)

May improve lung function, reduce symptoms, and improve treatment outcomes among asthma patients

Cancer-Related Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking reduces the risk of 12 different cancers, including:

#

Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML)

Bladder Cancer

Lung Cancer

Cervical Cancer

Colorectal Cancer

Esophageal Cancer

Kidney Cancer

Liver Cancer

Mouth and Throat Cancer

Pancreatic Cancer

Stomach Cancer

Voice box (larynx) Cancer

Cancer survivors who quit smoking will have a reduced risk of premature death.

#

Reproductive Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the most important actions a woman who smoke should take for a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

Before pregnancy or early in pregnancy may reduce the risk of pre-term delivery

During pregnancy, reduces the risk of delivering a low birth weight baby

Early in pregnancy, eliminates the adverse effects of smoking on fetal growth

Health Benefits of Quitting Smoking Over Time

Over time, people who quit smoking see many benefits to their health. After you smoke your last cigarette, your body begins a series of positive changes that continue for years.

#
Time after quitting Health benefits
Minutes Heart rate drops.
24 hours Nicotine level in the blood drops to zero.
Several days Carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to level of someone who does not smoke
1 to 12 months Coughing and shortness of breath decrease.
1 to 2 years Risk of heart attack drops sharply.
3 to 6 years Added risk of coronary heart disease drops by half.
5 to 10 years Added risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and voice box drops by half. Risk of stroke decreases.
10 years Added risk of lung cancer drops by half after 10-15 years. Risk of cancers of the bladder, esophagus and kidney decreases.
15 years Risk of coronary heart disease drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke.
20 years Risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and voice box drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke. Risk of pancreatic cancer drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke. Added risk of cervical cancer drops by about half.