World Heart Day 2012: Why you should quit smoking

29th September is World Heart Day

Still smoking? In this day and age. Maybe understanding how your body starts to recover after you quit smoking will help you kick the butt. 

1. There are immediate and long-term health benefits of quitting for all smokers.

Here are some things that take place in your body as soon as you quit smoking:

Within 20 minutes – Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.

12 hours - The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

2-12 weeks – Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

1-9 months - Coughing and shortness of breath decrease.

1 year - Your risk of coronary heart disease is about half that of a smoker.

5 years - Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker’s, 5 to 15 years after quitting.

10 years - Your risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker and your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decreases.

15 years - The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker’s.

2. People of all ages who have already developed smoking-related health problems can still benefit from quitting

Here are some things that happen in a smoker’s body compared to those who continue:

At about 30: Gain almost 10 years of life expectancy

At about 40: Gain 9 years of life expectancy

At about 50: Gain 6 years of life expectancy

At about 60: Gain 3 years of life expectancy

Also people who quit smoking after having a heart attack reduce their chances of having another one by 50%.

3. Quitting smoking decreases the excess risk of many diseases related to second-hand smoke in children, such as respiratory diseases (e.g., asthma) and ear infections.

4. Quitting smoking reduces the chances of impotence, having difficulty getting pregnant, having premature births, babies with low birth weights and miscarriage.

• Quit smoking or die!
• Shaan’s “Life Se Panga” anti-smoking song
• Did you know smoking can give you heart disease and strokes?
• 200,000 children die from passive smoking every year!
• WHO urges governments to watch out for tobacco industry interference
• Smoking okay on-screen, not in real life says Bollywood
• Heart attacks, cancer on the rise in young smokers
• Want to quit tobacco? Here’s a helpline to your rescue!
• Women and smoking
• Are tobacco-less e-cigarettes less harmful?
• 10 facts about passive smoking

Content Courtesy: WHO