Summary

It is already known that smoking affects life expectancy. However, a new study shows that smoking also decreases quality of life. Non-smokers live about ten years longer than heavy smokers, according to Finnish researchers. And they also have better health. Even those who quit - and many did, over the course of this work - had some health problems compared to the never smokers.

Introduction

The impact of smoking upon health is well known by now. It increases the risk of cancer, particularly lung cancer, heart disease, and overall mortality. The findings have been turned into anti-smoking policies in many countries in an effort to protect the health of the population. It can be assumed that smoking therefore impairs quality of life, as well as shortening that life. But, till now, that fact had not actually been proven by clinical research. For all we know, non-smokers live longer but have therefore more time to develop chronic diseases.

What was done

Researchers at the University of Helsinki, Finland, and elsewhere, studied a group of 1,658 white men who were born between 1919 and 1934. Their first assessment was carried out in 1974, at which point all were healthy. In 2000, the participants completed questionnaires on their smoking status, health and quality of life. Any deaths were noted through the Finnish national registers.

What was found

During the 26 years of this study, 22.4 percent of the men died. Those who had never smoked lived for a decade longer than participants who smoked more than 20 cigarettes a day. The never smokers had better health overall and notably better physical functioning compared to the heavy smokers. Physical health decline was proportional to the number of cigarettes smoked. Of course, many smokers quit during the study when the health impact of smoking became more widely known. Nevertheless, it was the never smokers who had the better quality of life.

What this study means

People who have never smoked not only live a decade longer than heavy smokers but their health-related quality of life is better. Therefore, not starting to smoke is the best insurance policy for your future health.