It’s never too late to quit using tobacco. The sooner you quit, the more you can reduce your chances of getting cancer and other diseases.
Quitting smoking lowers your risk of other cancers over time as well, including cancers of the stomach, pancreas, liver, cervix, and colon and rectum, as well as acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Quitting also lowers your risk of diabetes, helps your blood vessels work better, and helps your heart and lungs.
Kicking the tobacco habit offers some other rewards that you’ll notice right away and some that will show up over time.
Quitting smoking lowers your risk of other cancers over time as well, including cancers of the stomach, pancreas, liver, cervix, and colon and rectum, as well as acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Quitting also lowers your risk of diabetes, helps your blood vessels work better, and helps your heart and lungs.
Kicking the tobacco habit offers some other rewards that you’ll notice right away and some that will show up over time.
Health Benefits:
| Time after quitting | Health benefits |
|---|---|
| Minutes | Heart rate drops |
| 24 hours | Nicotine level in the blood drops to zero |
| Several days | Carbon monoxide level in the blood drops to level of someone who does not smoke |
| 1 to 12 months | Coughing and shortness of breath decrease |
| 1 to 2 years | Risk of heart attack drops sharply |
| 3 to 6 years | Added risk of coronary heart disease drops by half |
| 5 to 10 years | Added risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, and voice box drops by half Risk of stroke decreases |
| 10 years | Added risk of lung cancer drops by half after 10-15 years Risk of cancers of the bladder, esophagus, and kidney decreases |
| 15 years | Risk of coronary heart disease drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke |
| 20 years | Risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, and voice box drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke Risk of pancreatic cancer drops to close to that of someone who does not smoke Added risk of cervical cancer drops by about half |
Are there other benefits of quitting that I’ll notice right away?
Right away you’ll save the money you spent on tobacco. And here are just a few other benefits you may notice:
Quitting also helps stop the damaging effects of tobacco on how you look, including premature wrinkling of your skin, gum disease, and tooth loss.
- Food tastes better.
- Your sense of smell returns to normal.
- Your breath, hair, and clothes smell better.
- Your teeth and fingernails stop yellowing.
- Ordinary activities (for example, climbing stairs or light housework) leave you less out of breath.
- You can be in smoke-free buildings without having to go outside to smoke.
Quitting also helps stop the damaging effects of tobacco on how you look, including premature wrinkling of your skin, gum disease, and tooth loss.