Quitting Smoking Can Increase Life Span by 7 Years
If you’re a smoker and you’re interested in biohacks to increase longevity, quitting smoking is the most important thing for you to do. Researchers from Austria, with the Innsbruck Medical University, have published a crucial study demonstrating that cigarette smoking accelerates the aging process.1 The researchers explain that, “Evidence continues to mount that cigarette smoking exhausts cellular defense and repair functions, leading to an accumulation of damage e.g. mutations and malfunctioning proteins.” Many of the harmful effects of smoking are caused by the accelerating of aging processes caused the chemicals in cigarette smoke.
Over 4000 Chemicals in Cigarette Smoke, Many of Them Harmful
The researchers state, “Cigarette smoke contains more than 4000 different chemicals, most of which are generated during the combustion process in the cigarette. This cocktail of chemicals is then inhaled by the smoker.” This causes the mouth, throat, and lungs to come into contact with these toxic chemicals, but cigarette smoke chemicals are absorbed by the lungs into the bloodstream and then distributed throughout the body. Therefore, smoking does not just affect your lungs, but exposes tissues and cells all throughout the body to harmful chemicals.
Smoking Can Cost 14 Years of Disease-Free Life
One of the main causes of aging-related health problems is due to decreased ability of cells to repair themselves, and chemicals contained in cigarette smoke decrease cells self-repair functions. When it comes to longevity, the data on smoking is clear: “Cigarette smoking reduces life span by an average of 7 years, and tobacco consumption accounts for a shortening of disease free life by 14 years.” Therefore, to live a long and healthy life, it is crucial to quit smoking as quickly as possible. If you’re looking with help to do this, there are many support groups available online, and there are a wide range of smoking-cessation aids. To avoid serious health problems in the future, it’s key to quit smoking.
- Bernhard, D., Möser, C., Backović, A., & Wick, G. (2007). Cigarette smoke – an aging accelerator? Experimental Gerontology, 42(3), 160–165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2006.09.016
