This is the age at which it is absolutely necessary to quit smoking to limit the risk of death

November is the “month without tobacco” in France. A vast awareness and assistance operation to help smokers quit. The dangers of cigarettes no longer need to be demonstrated. It is by far the leading cause of cancer of the lung, but also of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and esophagus. Smoking also significantly increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. It would thus be the cause of 66,000 deaths per year in France.

Quitting smoking has a real impact on our life expectancy, even if we have been a consumer for a long time. Over the years without tobacco, the risk of heart attack, cancer or other diseases are close to those presented by people who have never smoked. Therefore, the earlier you stop, the better. A study published at the end of October in the journal JAMA Network even defined an ideal age.

Regain the health of a non-smoker

Since tobacco acts as an aggravating factor in cardiovascular disease, it is important tostop early enough that it doesn’t add to other factors. However, we know that with age, the risk of stroke increases. The study compiled data from 550,000 respondents over twenty years. She concluded that it was very important toquit smoking before age 35. Those who had quit smoking by this age had similar numbers to non-smokers for cardiovascular problems. And before the age of 35, these disorders are very rare. These findings may help young smokers set a clear goal.

However, this does not mean that you have to give up once you reach this age. Stop smoking before the age of 45 would reduce the excess risk of death by 90% according to this same study. “Seniors who stop smoking find, after one year, a risk of having a stroke equivalent to that of non-smokers, that of being the victim of a myocardial infarction decreasing by half”, recalls the French Federation of Cardiology. It also helps to slow down the process of atherosclerosis and fight arteritis in the lower limbs.