Smoking - Other ways quitting helps

Smoking

Other ways quitting helps

There are many ways that quitting smoking improves your health. It's never too late to quit, even if you're sick.

If you've been treated for small-cell lung cancer, you'll lower your chance of getting another type of cancer if you stop smoking.

Source:
Richardson GE, Tucker MA, Venzon DJ, et al.
Smoking cessation after successful treatment of small-cell lung cancer is associated with fewer smoking-related second primary cancers.
Annals of Internal Medicine. 1993; 119: 383-90.

¹
If you've been diagnosed with another type of cancer, such as head or neck cancer, throat cancer, bladder cancer or cancer of the

pancreas
Your pancreas is an organ that's behind your stomach. It makes several different chemicals. Some of the chemicals help your body digest food. Your pancreas also makes a chemical called insulin, which helps your body use the sugar in your blood.

pancreas, your chances of getting a second cancer will go down when you stop smoking.

Source:
Anthonisen NR, Connett JE, Kiley JP, et al.
Effects of smoking intervention and the use of an inhaled anticholinergic bronchodilator on the rate of decline of FEV1. The Lung Health Study.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1994; 272: 1497-1505.

²
If you have

heart disease
You get heart disease when your heart isn't able to pump blood as well as it should. This can happen for a variety of reasons.

heart disease, you'll reduce your chances of heart problems such as a heart attack or a

stroke
You have a stroke when the blood supply to a part of your brain is cut off. This damages your brain and can cause symptoms like weakness or numbness on one side of your body. You may also find it hard to speak if you've had a stroke.

stroke if you stop smoking.

Source:
Anthonisen NR, Connett JE, Kiley JP, et al.
Effects of smoking intervention and the use of an inhaled anticholinergic bronchodilator on the rate of decline of FEV1. The Lung Health Study.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1994; 272: 1497-1505.

²
If you have

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is an illness that causes coughing and difficulty breathing. Most of the people who get it have smoked for a long time. COPD can include both emphysema, which is the breakdown of air sacs (alveoli) in your lungs, and chronic bronchitis, which is a recurrent, long-lasting cough that brings up phlegm.

chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), your breathing tubes have been damaged and it's hard for you to breathe. Stopping smoking will slow down the damage COPD causes to your lungs. If you have mild COPD and you stop smoking, your lungs will be able to work better.

Source:
Anthonisen NR, Connett JE, Kiley JP, et al.
Effects of smoking intervention and the use of an inhaled anticholinergic bronchodilator on the rate of decline of FEV1. The Lung Health Study.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1994; 272: 1497-1505.

²

Source:
Buist AS, Sexton GJ, Nagy JM, et al.
The effect of smoking cessation and modification on lung function.
American Review of Respiratory Disease. 1976; 114: 115-122.

³
If you have a smokers' cough and cough up phlegm, your symptoms should improve when you stop smoking.

Source:
Kanner RE, Connett JE, Williams DE, et al.
Effects of randomized assignment to a smoking cessation intervention and changes in smoking habits on respiratory symptoms in smokers with early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
American Journal of Medicine. 1999; 106: 410-416.

⁴

Source:
Kurata JH, Nogawa AN.
Meta-analysis of risk factors for peptic ulcer: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, Helicobacter pylori, and smoking.
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 1997; 24: 2-17.

⁵
If you have a

stomach ulcer
A stomach ulcer is a break in the surface that covers the inside of your stomach.

stomach ulcer, it's more likely to heal if you stop smoking. And you're less likely to get another ulcer if you quit.

Source:
Anthonisen NR, Connett JE, Kiley JP, et al.
Effects of smoking intervention and the use of an inhaled anticholinergic bronchodilator on the rate of decline of FEV1. The Lung Health Study.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1994; 272: 1497-1505.

²

Source:
Kurata JH, Nogawa AN.
Meta-analysis of risk factors for peptic ulcer: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, Helicobacter pylori, and smoking.
Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 1997; 24: 2-17.

⁵
If you're a woman, by giving up cigarettes you can reduce the chances that you'll get an early

menopause
When a woman stops having periods, it is called menopause. This usually happens around the age of 50.

menopause.

Source:
Anthonisen NR, Connett JE, Kiley JP, et al.
Effects of smoking intervention and the use of an inhaled anticholinergic bronchodilator on the rate of decline of FEV1. The Lung Health Study.
Journal of the American Medical Association. 1994; 272: 1497-1505.

²
If you're a woman, you'll slow down the loss of bone when you quit smoking. Bone loss speeds up when you smoke. If your bones are already weakened, losing more bone tissue can increase the chances that you'll fracture a hip or other bone. Men who quit smoking may also lose less bone, but we know less about this than we do about bone loss in women.

Source:
Krall EA, Dawson-Hughes B.
Smoking increases bone loss and decreases intestinal calcium absorption.
Journal of Bone & Mineral Research. 1999; 14: 215-220.

⁶

Source:
Cummings SR.
Treatable and untreatable risk factors for hip fracture.
Bone. 1996; 18 (supplement): S165-S167.

⁷

Source:
Cornuz J, Feskanich D, Willett WC, et al.
Smoking, smoking cessation, and risk of hip fracture in women.
American Journal of Medicine. 1999; 106: 311-314.

⁸

Source:
Law MR, Hackshaw AK.
A meta-analysis of cigarette smoking, bone mineral density and risk of hip fracture: recognition of a major effect.
BMJ. 1997; 315: 841-846.

⁹
If you're in the hospital, you'll get better faster when you stop smoking.

Sources for the information on this page:

Richardson GE, Tucker MA, Venzon DJ, et al.Smoking cessation after successful treatment of small-cell lung cancer is associated with fewer smoking-related second primary cancers.Annals of Internal Medicine. 1993; 119: 383-90.

Anthonisen NR, Connett JE, Kiley JP, et al.Effects of smoking intervention and the use of an inhaled anticholinergic bronchodilator on the rate of decline of FEV1. The Lung Health Study.Journal of the American Medical Association. 1994; 272: 1497-1505.

Buist AS, Sexton GJ, Nagy JM, et al.The effect of smoking cessation and modification on lung function.American Review of Respiratory Disease. 1976; 114: 115-122.

Kanner RE, Connett JE, Williams DE, et al.Effects of randomized assignment to a smoking cessation intervention and changes in smoking habits on respiratory symptoms in smokers with early chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.American Journal of Medicine. 1999; 106: 410-416.

Kurata JH, Nogawa AN.Meta-analysis of risk factors for peptic ulcer: nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs, Helicobacter pylori, and smoking.Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology. 1997; 24: 2-17.

Krall EA, Dawson-Hughes B.Smoking increases bone loss and decreases intestinal calcium absorption.Journal of Bone & Mineral Research. 1999; 14: 215-220.

Cummings SR.Treatable and untreatable risk factors for hip fracture.Bone. 1996; 18 (supplement): S165-S167.

Cornuz J, Feskanich D, Willett WC, et al.Smoking, smoking cessation, and risk of hip fracture in women.American Journal of Medicine. 1999; 106: 311-314.

Law MR, Hackshaw AK.A meta-analysis of cigarette smoking, bone mineral density and risk of hip fracture: recognition of a major effect.BMJ. 1997; 315: 841-846.

This information was last updated on May 11, 2009

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© BMJ Publishing Group Limited 2009. All rights reserved.

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