Only one cigarette a day can lead to death

Are you sure that smoking only one cigarette a day will not hurt you? Think again, the researchers ask. Even one cigarette a day can increase your chances of an early death.

"There is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke," says study author Maki Inoue-Choi of the National Cancer Institute of the United States. "Quitting smoking benefits all smokers, no matter how many cigarettes they smoke," she added in the Institute news release.

Features of the study

In their study, the Inoue-Choi team tracked data on more than 290,000 Americans aged 59-82. Researchers wanted to assess the risks of "easy" smoking, the extent of which is defined as 10 or fewer cigarettes a day.

All smokers were asked about their bad habit at nine different stages of their life, from 15 years to 70 years.

Compared to those who did not try smoking, smokers who on average allowed one cigarette a day for life, had a 64% higher risk of premature death. For those who smoked from one to 10 cigarettes a day, this risk was 87%.

It's never too early or too late to quit smoking. The study showed that the risk of early death was lower for former smokers than for those who could not give up cigarettes, even if their number was insignificant a day. And the younger the smokers, when they abandoned their habit, the lower this risk.

Causes of early death of smokers

Researchers also examined the specific causes of death. Compared to non-smokers who have never touched cigarettes, the risk of death from lung cancer is 9 times higher among those who smoked less than one cigarette a day during their lifetime, and 12 times among those who smoked from one to one 10 cigarettes a day.

In addition, those people who smoked from one to 10 cigarettes a day had six times more chances of dying from respiratory diseases (such as emphysema), and one and a half times more likely to die from heart disease than non-smokers.

Opinion of specialists

Doctors who work with patients-smokers, were not surprised by such conclusions.

"There is no safe level of smoking," said Dr. Len Horowitz, a specialist in lung diseases at the Lenox Hill Hospital in New York. "Quitting smoking is a must, but it's best not to start smoking."

Patricia Folan leads the Center to Fight the Health Effects of Tobacco in New York. She said: "I have experience with" light "smokers who often do not consider themselves" real ". When asked if they smoke, such patients often respond that they do not. The attitude to smoking in these people often remains hidden. Just asking patients if they smoke is not enough to get an accurate answer to this question. Maybe it would be best to ask: "When was the last time you smoked?". This gives patients the opportunity to give a more accurate answer, whether they smoke at all and how much. "