Many smokers stop smoking in middle age. But then the harmful effects of cigarettes – increased atherosclerosis and lung damage – are often already present. The result is mortality that continues to rise for many years. A study by the US National Cancer Institute (NCI) has now shown how ex-smokers can best reduce that risk: with exercise, normal weight and a healthy diet.
“In this cohort study of 159,937 former smokers (…) it was found that those who adhered better to recommendations on body weight, diet, exercise and alcohol consumption compared with former smokers with lower adherence (to the recommendations; NB ) had a 27 percent lower all-cause mortality. There was also a correlation with mortality from cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease,” wrote Maki Inoue-Choi and co-authors in the published JAMA Network Open study.
The scientific study included a group of people with an average age of 62.6 years at baseline. On average, they had stopped smoking for more than ten years. Scientists correlated their risk of death over the next 18.9 years with four lifestyle factors: body mass index (BMI), nutrition on the “Healthy Eating Index”, physical activity and alcohol consumption. A maximum of eight points could be achieved in the categories.
It showed that former smokers with healthier lifestyles had a 27% lower risk of death from all causes. This was highly statistically significant. Exercising more than four hours a week reduced all-cause mortality by 17%. Normal weight brought 14% less mortality, a healthy diet 9% less. Avoiding too much alcohol resulted in a four percent reduction in mortality. Even if study participants did not “perfectly” comply with the recommendations, significant effects were evident.
The effects could also be proven once again in the prevention of deaths due to certain diseases: former smokers who behaved in a more health conscious way died 28% less from cardiovascular diseases, and the risk of cancer was reduced by 24%, in respiratory diseases by 30 percent. (apa)