How Can Women Who Smoke Add 10 Years To Their Lives?

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The simple answer is to quit smoking, even if you even are a “social” or casual smoker.

Results from Oxford University researchers 12 year One Million Woman Study of female smokers published online in the Lancet today provides more evidence that women who quit smoking can significantly reduce their chances for premature death and cancer and add at least l0 years to their lives.

If a woman is able to quit smoking before the age of 40, nearly 90% of the increased risk of dying is reduced; if she can quit before the age of 30, she can remove up to 97% of the risk of a premature death.

The study examined 1.2 million women between the ages of 50-69. The study participants answered questions regarding their lifestyle which included whether they smoked cigarettes. These women were then questioned again in 3 years. After 12 years, nearly 66,000 of the women had died. At the start of the study, 20 % of the women were smokers, 52% of the women had never smoked, while 28 % were ex-smokers.

Women who continued to smoke after 3 years in the study were nearly 3 times as likely to die in the next 9 years, compared with the women who were non smokers in the study. The take home message is that this threefold increase among women who smoked means that up to 66 % of all deaths of female smokers in their 50s, 60s, and 70s is due to smoking related illnesses such as COPD, lung cancer, coronary artery disease or stroke. The more they smoked in the study, the greater their chances of dying. Even casual or light smokers (1-9 cigarettes per day) at the beginning of the study, were twice as likely to die compared with non-smokers.

Earlier studies evaluating smoking and longevity have focused on male smokers. However, from about 1940 onward, women began to smoke on a large scale based on epidemiological studies. As a result, this study is one of the first with sufficient data to evaluate the long term sequelae of long term smoking, quitting, and the subsequent risk of dying for those who continue to smoke. This study essentially confirms that smoking is as harmful in women as it is in men.

The real take home message is that it is never too late to quit smoking. If you are able to quit in your 30s or 40s, your risking of dying from smoking related illnesses is significantly reduced. Young people in their 20s and 30s , especially casual smokers, often feel that they are immune from any serious medical effects of smoking. This study clearly demonstrates that quitting early greatly reduces risk for damage to your coronary arteries and development of COPD, as a result of destruction of lung tissue leading to chronic cough and wheezing episodes.

Although a number of women fear the typical weight gain after they stop smoking, the risks from additional weight gain are much less than the deadly effects of continued smoking. As smoking interferes with certain enzymes involved in metabolism (e.g. lipoprotein lipase), many will experience weight gain and an increase in appetite after cessation. Regular exercise, proper diet, nicotine patches and gum along with counseling are useful adjuncts to aid in the process of quitting.

I am an emergency physician on staff at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where I have practiced for the past 15 years. I also serve as an adviser and editor to Med...