Quit Smoking and Increase Life Expectancy

For those individuals who smoke you can greatly increase your life expectancy by quitting. Here is what the Centers for Disease Control indicate are the benefits of quitting smoking: • Lowered risk for lung cancer and many other types of cancer. • Reduced risk for heart disease, stroke, and peripheral vascular disease (narrowing of the blood vessels outside your heart). • Reduced heart disease risk within 1 to 2 years of quitting. • Reduced respiratory symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath. While these symptoms may not disappear, they do not continue to progress at the same rate among people who quit compared with those who continue to smoke. • Reduced risk of developing some lung diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD, one of the leading causes of death in the United States). • Reduced risk for infertility in women of childbearing age. Women who stop smoking during pregnancy also reduce their risk of having a low birth weight baby. If you are ready to try quitting check with your health insurance company for Smoking Cessation classes and counseling.