Benefits of Quitting Smoking

The benefits from quitting smoking start about 20 minutes after smoking the last cigarette, and continue for years. From purely cosmetic improvements to significant decreases in risks of serious health problems, quitting smoking now greatly improves an individual's overall health.

Benefits

• The benefits of quitting smoking include a reduction in the risk of cancer, reduced heart disease risks, better skin, reduced blood pressure, increased circulation, increased ability to smell and taste, reduced risk of stroke and reduced risk of ulcers. Cigarette smell leaves a foul odor on clothing and on the breath, so cessation of smoking eliminates those odors.

Time Frame

• Within a day, blood pressure and pulse decrease and the chance of a heart attack decreases. In two days, the senses of taste and smell begin to return to normal levels. Within the first year, circulation and lung function improve. Five years after quitting smoking, stroke risk reduces to the same level as those who never smoked. At 10 years, the risk of lung, esophagus, kidney, bladder and pancreas cancer decreases, as does the risk of developing ulcers. After 15 years smoke-free, coronary heart disease risk drops to about the same level as non-smokers.

Effects

• Quitting smoking allows people to live longer, healthier lives. Smoking also increases the frequency and severity of bacterial and viral infections, so those who quit often find that within a year, they are sick less often.

Significance

• Over 20 percent of adults in the United States smoke. Smoking directly causes almost 90 percent of all lung cancer deaths. It also causes several other types of cancer, including cancer of the mouth and esophagus. The secondhand smoke from cigarettes places others at risk for these cancers due to exposure to the smoke of the cigarettes.

Considerations

• Nicotine, an additive in cigarettes, is extremely addictive. Many smokers try to quit several times before they are successful.