Wednesday 10 March 2004
On National No Smoking Day, The Institute of Cancer Research urges young smokers not to put off giving up. Those who kick the habit while they are still young can save themselves from much of the damage that smoking inflicts on the body over time.
This comes as figures show that smoking is most common among young people, with four in ten 20 – 24 year olds in the UK smoking. Many put off giving up until later in life, but evidence shows that the benefits of giving up while still young are huge, and that by middle age a great deal of harm may already have been done.
Professor David Phillips, scientist at The Institute of Cancer Research explains the need to encourage people to give up while they’re still young:
“Smoking kills 120, 000 people in the UK each year. Lung Cancer alone kills 33,000 each year, 90% of which are caused by smoking. In total one in two smokers will die as a result of their habit, tragically a quarter of those will still be middle aged. That’s why we’re saying to young people to make this No Smoking Day your day to quit.”
Lung cancer is one of the most deadly; but the risk of getting it depends on how long a person has been a smoker, the sooner they give up, the less the risk. After 10 smoke free years, the risk of lung cancer has halved.
However lung cancer is only one of 14 different types of smoking related cancer that in total cause around 70,000 deaths every year. Others include cancer of the liver, the oesophagus, the ‘voice box’ and the stomach.
Research has shown that right from the start of life as a smoker, damage is being done. As well as being more likely to suffer from asthma, suffer poor health and be less fit than non-smokers, teenagers who smoke are risking their sexual and reproductive health from puberty onwards.
In men smoking damages the quality and quantity of sperm and decrease a man’s fertility. It is also related to impotence in middle age and elderly men, but this can strike as early as the 30s for men who have smoked for a long time.
Women who smoke are more likely to suffer from cervical cancer, a disease that can occur from the early 20s onwards. Women who smoke and take the contraceptive pill are at even more risk of cervical cancer as well as being 10 times more likely to have a heart attack, stroke or other cardiovascular disease compared to women who take the pill but aren’t smokers.
But the good news is that as soon as a smoker quits they begin to reap the benefits. After just 20 minutes without cigarettes, blood pressure and pulse rates return to normal, after 8 hours blood oxygen levels have returned to normal and after 24 hours there is no more carbon monoxide in the body, breathing will become easier and sense of smell and taste will improve.
After 15 smoke free years, a person’s health is almost the same as someone who has never smoked and they can look forward to a healthier middle and old age.
Professor Phillips concludes, “Taking a group of one thousand 20 year olds who smoke regularly, statistically one will be murdered, six will die in motor vehicle accidents and a shocking 250 will die from smoking related diseases in middle age.”
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For more information, please contact:
Marie Maclean, Press Officer
The Institute of Cancer Research
Tel: 0207 1535 359
email: [email protected]
Notes to editors
- The Institute of Cancer Research is a centre of excellence with leading scientists working on cutting edge research. It was founded in 1909 to carry out research into the causes of cancer and to develop new strategies for its prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care.
- The Institute works in a unique partnership with The Royal Marsden Hospital, which enables scientific discoveries to be translated quickly into patient care.
- The Institute is a charity that relies on voluntary income. The Institute is a highly cost-effective major cancer research organisation with over 90p in every £ directly supporting research.
Please note:
Unfortunately the press office are unable to answer queries from the general public. For general cancer information please refer to The Institute's cancer information page.