The harms of “light smoking”
Does cutting down on smoking make much difference to your health?
“Yeah, I still smoke, but I’ve cut right back, I’m down to one or two a day”
These are words doctors often hear when they ask people about their smoking habits. While it may mean things are moving in the right direction, how much of an impact does cutting down (rather than quitting) actually make to your risk of having a heart attack or stroke? Does reducing to one cigarette a day mean a 20 times lower risk of heart attack compared to a smoker of 20 a day? Unfortunately, some new research suggests that it doesn’t work this way.
New research on smoking
A study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) shows that men who smoke 20 cigarettes a day have twice the risk of heart disease and stroke compared to non smokers, but men who smoke one cigarette a day still have a 46 % increase in risk of heart disease and stroke compared to non-smokers. For women, the numbers are worse- those who smoke 20 cigarettes a day have 2.8 times the risk of heart disease and stroke compared to non smokers, but women who smoke one cigarette a day still have a 57 % increase in risk of heart disease and stroke compared to non-smokers. Basically, for men and women, your risk of a heart attack or stroke is still substantially increased if you smoke at all, and the stats are worse for female smokers.
Are there ANY benefits to cutting down?
Of course, there are still some benefits to cutting down, which are unrelated to heart disease and stroke—such as the risk of lung cancer and other forms of cancer, so any reduction is good news. But the above research may be a wake-up call for people who thought that smoking one cigarette a day was almost as good as not smoking at all!
How long does it take for your health to recover from smoking?
If you quit smoking at any age there are immediate benefits:
- After a few days your sense of smell and taste will improve.
- After one month, any increase in blood pressure caused by your smoking will be reversed.
- 12 months after you quit smoking your increased risk of dying from heart disease will be half that of a smoker.
- After 10 years of quitting, your risk of lung cancer will be less than half that of a smoker- and the risk of lung cancer will continue to fall year by year.
- 15 years after you quit smoking, your risk of a heart attack or stroke is nearly the same as that of someone who has never been a smoker.
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Clinical review & governance
Medically reviewed by Dr AIFRIC BOYLAN
CEO
About Dr Aifric Boylan MB BCh BAO MICGP FRACGP DRCOG DCH Fellow of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr Aifric Boylan is a general practitioner with more than 20 years' experience. She graduated in medicine from…
This health information has been clinically reviewed by an Australian doctor. Qoctor health pages are reviewed to support clear, evidence-informed guidance; they do not replace individual medical advice.
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