Quit smoking at 75? New study says it's not too late to add years to your life
Quitting smoking even at the advanced age of 75 can meaningfully extend a person's life expectancy, according to new research from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. The study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, evaluates the impact of smoking on life expectancy at 10-year intervals from ages 35 to 75 and is the first to analyze smoking cessation impacts on the 65+ age group.
The findings reveal that, although the health benefits of quitting smoking diminish with age, older individuals still stand to gain significantly from kicking the habit.
“We have seen a remarkable decline in young adult smoking over the past decade,” said lead researcher Thuy Le, assistant research scientist in the Department of Health Management and Policy at Michigan Public Health. “However, rates among older adults who smoke have remained stagnant and to our knowledge, no research has established the benefits for them of quitting. We wanted to show that stopping smoking is beneficial at any age and provide an incentive for older people who smoke to quit.”
Co-authors of the study include David Mendez and Kenneth Warner, both of the Department of Health Management and Policy.
Study: “The Benefits of Quitting Smoking at Different Ages,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine. DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.06.020
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