True cost of smoking revealed with single cigarette taking minutes off your life
Do you know what smoking just one cigarette does to your lifespan? It might not be surprising to know it won’t add to it – but how long it takes off could shock a smoker into reconsidering.
Sparking up is a common sight here in the UK, with Action on Smoking and Health revealing that 11.9 per cent of nationals enjoy smoking tobacco.
While the popularity of vaping has slashed the numbers of those who prefer a ciggie, that’s a whole different kettle of fish to debate which is worse.
For now, what researchers do know is that smoking cigarettes is inherently bad for your health, with the NHS linking it to diseases like mouth, throat and lung cancer, as well as COPD and everyday chest infections or sinus issues.
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But this isn’t why it apparently takes around 20 full minutes from your life after smoking just one cig.
Today is World No Tobacco Day, and what better time could there be to reveal the scary science behind smoking?
Researchers at the University College London have re-evaluated previous data from the BMJ in 2001 which explained that men and women lost around 11 minutes of life per cigarette smoked, to find that the answer is much worse.
In fact, data from the British Doctors Study at 50-year follow-up to 2001 and on the female mortality outcomes from the Million Women Study, found that men who didn’t quit smoking lost approximately 10 years of overall life, and women lost 11.
The figures take into account statistics on women in 1996 who smoked an average of 13.6 cigarettes per day, which would make each cigarette amount to a 20-minute loss of life expectancy over-all. Specifically, 17 minutes for men and 22 minutes for women.
Despite researchers finding that men and women smoke about two cigs less a day than before, they say smokers may smoke with more ‘intensity’, meaning that the life-loss is still valid in 2026.
It’s scary and comes right off the back of a new law which prevents younger people from purchasing cigs and vapes.
On 29 April, it was implemented in the UK that a person born on or after 1 January 2009 will never be able to legally purchase cigarettes, as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill lays out.
The bill was even given Royal Assent, which now means anyone 17 or younger are permanently banned from purchasing any tobacco products.
"This legislation marks a turning point for the nation’s health," Wes Streeting, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, said at the time.
"By ending the cycle of tobacco addiction for future generations, we are taking one of the boldest steps in decades to prevent illness before it even begins.
"A smoke-free generation is now within reach, and this government is determined to deliver a healthier, fairer future for everyone."
Britt Jones