wfn.org | "Quit Now" New Smoking Study Concludes

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August 20, 2000
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
http://www.stanet.ch/APD

"Quit Now" New Smoking Study Concludes

Oxford, England, United Kingdom.   The risk of 
smoking-related lung cancer is much higher than 
previously thought, a new study on smoking shows. 
The benefit of quitting-even at age 50 or later-is 
also higher than had been believed, say researchers 
at Oxford University in England.

The study, published August 3 in the British Medical 
Journal, found that lifelong male smokers have a 16 
percent chance of dying from lung cancer by age 75, 
and those who smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day 
have a 24 percent chance.  Women smokers have a 10 
percent chance of dying from lung cancer by age 75, 
and 19 percent if they are heavy smokers.  These 
percentages are more than double those suggested by 
earlier studies.

The study also concludes that a 50-year-old male 
smoker who quits will more than halve his risk of 
dying from lung cancer to six percent, while 
quitting at age 30 cuts the risk even further to 1.7 
percent. Similar reductions in risk percentages 
apply to female smokers who quit.

"The message for smokers from this study is 'Quit 
now-the sooner, the better,'" says Thomas Neslund, a 
health spokesperson for the Adventist Church 
worldwide. "This explodes the old argument that it's 
not worth the effort, in terms of health benefit, 
for a longtime smoker to give up the habit."

An estimated 157,000 people in the United States 
will die from lung cancer this year.  According to 
World Health Organization statistics, one third of 
the world's population over 15 years of age are 
smokers. Of these, a disproportionate number-800 
million-are in developing nations.

The Adventist Church strongly promotes a tobacco-
free lifestyle, and has developed a number of anti-
smoking programs that are offered around the world. 
Anti-tobacco education for young people, using an 
innovative peer-to-peer approach, is also a priority 
for the church, says Neslund. (243/2000)