A new study reveals shocking details about the consequences of smoking.
As per Sky News, new estimates indicate that each cigarette a person smokes may reduce their life expectancy by 20 minutes.
The new data published in the Journal of Addiction indicates that smoking has a greater impact on life expectancy than previously thought.
Earlier, it was believed that each cigarette took away 11 minutes of life, but now the new estimates show this impact is now considered to be higher.
Every cigarette smoked reduces the life expectancy of an average man by 17 minutes and an average woman by 22 minutes.
These conclusions were drawn from the recent data gathered through long-term studies that track the health of the population.
The authors issued a statement, noting, "Studies suggest that smokers typically lose about the same number of healthy years as they do total years of life.”
The statement continued, “Thus smoking primarily eats into the relatively healthy middle years rather than shortening the period at the end of life, which is often marked by chronic illness or disability.”
"So a 60-year-old smoker will typically have the health profile of a 70-year-old non-smoker,” it added.
The authors went on to share, “We estimate that on average, smokers in Britain who do not quit lose approximately 20 minutes of life expectancy for each cigarette they smoke.”
“This is time that would likely be spent in relatively good healthStopping smoking at every age is beneficial but the sooner smokers get off this escalator of death the longer and healthier they can expect their lives to be,” the statement concluded.
The data from the Annual Population Survey (APS) suggest that approximately six million adults in the UK are smokers.
