USA TODAY: …On the other hand, those who kick the habit before age 40 reduce the excess risk of death associated with continued smoking by about 90%, according to the study in Thursday’s New England Journal of Medicine.
“Smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of death in the U.S.,” says Tim McAfee, a co-author of the study. “We need to do more to educate the American people about these findings,” adds McAfee, director of the Office on Smoking and Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“Women now lose about 11 years of life expectancy if they smoke,” McAfee says. “Men lose about 12 years.” He adds that it is presumed that women’s smoking patterns are now more similar to men’s in terms of picking up the habit at younger ages and smoking a larger number of cigarettes… (more)
