Smokers Beware: Each Cigarette Shortens Your Life by 20 Minutes, Study Claim

We all have heard this caution - Smoking is injurious to health - but did it ever stop people from smoking? No, as there are still many, who smoked not one or two daily but have become a chain smoker. It is said that smoking a cigarette can damage your lungs and can also cause cancer. Now a new study claims that a single cigarette takes about 20 minutes off a person's life, which means a pack of 20 cigarettes can shorten a person's life by around seven hours.

What the researchers have found about smoking cigarettes?

Researchers at University College London have found that if a person smokes 10 cigarettes a day and quits on January 1 then he/she could prevent the loss of a full day of life by January 8. By February, they could gain an extra week of life and by August, they could extend their lifespan by an entire month.

“People generally know that smoking is harmful but tend to underestimate just how much,” said Dr Sarah Jackson, a principal research fellow at UCL’s alcohol and tobacco research group. “On average, smokers who don’t quit lose around a decade of life. That’s 10 years of precious time, life moments, and milestones with loved ones. The sooner a person stops smoking, the longer they live. Quitting at any age substantially improves health, and the benefits start almost immediately."

Study urges smokers to quit smoking

The new study, commissioned by the Department of Health, also points out that people might think they don't mind missing out on a few years of life. But little do they know that the aftermaths of it will start showing in their middle age. "It primarily eats into the relatively healthy years in midlife, bringing forward the onset of ill health. This means a 60-year-old smoker will typically have the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker,” the study quotes. Through this study, they have encouraged smokers to use resources like the NHS Quit Smoking app, which helps a person quit smoking successfully.

"Every cigarette smoked costs precious minutes of life, and the cumulative impact is devastating, not only for individuals but also for our healthcare system and economy. This research is a powerful reminder of the urgent need to address cigarette smoking as the leading preventable cause of death and disease in the UK.”

The study concluded with a message to quit smoking to live a healthy and long life.