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A groundbreaking study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has revealed that quitting smoking, even at the age of 75, can significantly increase life expectancy. This research, conducted by Thuy T.T. Le, Ph.D., and colleagues David Mendez, Ph.D., and Kenneth E. Warner, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan School of Public Health, demonstrates that while the benefits of quitting smoking may diminish with age, substantial gains are still possible for older adults who stop smoking.
“We have seen a remarkable decline in young adult smoking over the past decade. However, rates among older adults who smoke have remained stagnant,” said Dr. Le. “To our knowledge, no research had established the benefits for them of quitting. We wanted to show that stopping smoking is beneficial at any age and provide an incentive for older people who smoke to quit.”
The study’s results show that people who quit smoking at 65 years old avoid an average of 1.7 years of life lost, while those who quit at 75 still regain around 0.7 years. For a 75-year-old who smokes, their remaining life expectancy is typically 9 years, but quitting can help them reclaim almost 8% of that remaining time. Remarkably, nearly 8% of individuals who quit at 75 can gain at least 4 additional years of life.
Measuring Life Gains Across Age Groups
Using all-cause mortality relative risks due to smoking, the researchers created life tables to illustrate the life years lost at different ages and the potential life gains from smoking cessation. Compared to those who never smoked, individuals aged 35, 45, 55, 65, and 75 who have smoked throughout adulthood are expected to lose an average of 9.1, 8.3, 7.3, 5.9, and 4.4 years, respectively, if they continue smoking. However, if they quit smoking at those respective ages, they could avoid losing 8.0, 5.6, 3.4, 1.7, and 0.7 years, respectively.
One particularly striking finding is that nearly 10% of individuals who quit smoking at 65 years old can gain as much as 8 additional years of life compared to those who continue smoking.
A Call to Action for Older Adults
Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, with approximately 480,000 smoking-related deaths occurring each year. Smoking is linked to numerous health issues, including cancers, heart disease, stroke, and lung disease. Though younger generations are showing a notable decline in smoking, older adults who smoke may benefit from new incentives to quit, based on this study’s findings.
Dr. Warner emphasized the study’s importance for older smokers, saying, “The cessation benefit is not limited to young and middle-aged adults who smoke; this study demonstrates its applicability to seniors as well. While the gains from quitting at older ages may seem low in absolute values, they represent a large proportion of an individual’s remaining life expectancy.”
This research underscores that it’s never too late to quit smoking, and even older individuals can see meaningful improvements in their health and life expectancy by doing so.
For more information, refer to the original study: Thuy T.T. Le et al, The Benefits of Quitting Smoking at Different Ages, American Journal of Preventive Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2024.06.020.
