People who quit smoking at a young age have a much lower risk of death than smokers. A large American-British scientific study shows that someone who quits smoking by the age of 35 has a similar mortality rate to someone who has never smoked in their life. This is the third study to conclude that 35 is the ideal age to quit smoking.
But even those who quit smoking at an older age still reap significant benefits, although their premature mortality rate is higher than those who quit early. However, the more time that has passed since someone quit smoking, the closer their risk of premature death approaches that of a non-smoker.
Thus, someone who quits smoking between the ages of 45 and 44 has, on average, a 211% higher risk of premature death than those who have never smoked, while those who quit between the ages of 45 and 54 have a 471% higher risk.
Researchers from the American Cancer Society and the University of Oxford in the UK, who published their findings in the American medical journal JAMA Network Open, analyzed data on approximately 551,000 people aged 25 to 84 (smokers, former smokers, and never smokers), of whom nearly 75,000 had died.
Compared to never smokers, current smokers were found to have a significantly increased risk of death from any cause, as well as from specific causes (cancer, heart disease, and lung disease), which applies to both men and women.
