More guff from the anti-smoking Nazis

[Big Blue Plymouth]

Don't be too smug. I'm an ex smoker too but it's a myth that your risk of lung cancer falls. It remains elevated forever. Basically smoking is like a death escalator, the point at which you get off, your risk remains at that point. It doesn't decline.
The good news is that your cardiovascular risk does decline.

So why does all the literature tell you that after 10 years since quitting your risk falls to half that of a current smoker? Even the NHS website states that.

I've read that death escalator thing somewhere else though.

As an ex heavy smoker, I try and keep reasonably fit and active. There's also plenty of evidence to suggest exercise can help in cancer prevention.

[Bacchus]

All ex-smokers are smug, having tried to quit a few times I can fully understand why you feel smug, and you have certainly earned the right to be smug. Well done. You'll almost certainly realise why I reserve the right to despise smug ex-smokers though.

You can only give up smoking when you're ready, not just because you think it's a good idea or because someone tells you to, and when you're ready there is only ONE reason to give up smoking - WINE!

People who have never smoked don't get it; they may have a "good" sense of taste, but they develop the gustatory equivalent of dark glasses; a filter to balance out the highs and lows. Smokers mask their sense of taste completely with nicotine blinkers, but when they stop, a glass of wine is like having the blinkers removed on a sunny day in the Louvre, a sensory overload in the best way possible.

(Bacchus who has finally been an ex-smoker for longer than he was a smoker and, yes, smug when he walks past a smoker. Sorry.

Make the switch to sucking on one of those stupid little nicotine sex toys, then quit. I used gum - it was great suddenly to be able to get a nicotine hit on a train again!)

[darmstadt]

29,000 deaths a year in the UK are attributable to fine particulate pollution.

[SueEllen]

So why does all the literature tell you that after 10 years since quitting your risk falls to half that of a current smoker? Even the NHS website states that.

I've read that death escalator thing somewhere else though.

As an ex heavy smoker, I try and keep reasonably fit and active. There's also plenty of evidence to suggest exercise can help in cancer prevention.

The NHS website has lots of tulip on it.

It's only when you have conditions do you question why what they say is different from other medical websites information particularly the one your GP gives out leaflets from.

Oh and a lot of cancers are due to bad genetics unfortunately you will never know it's that as currently it's en vogue to blame the adult victim for getting it.

[original PM]

Don't be too smug. I'm an ex smoker too but it's a myth that your risk of lung cancer falls. It remains elevated forever. Basically smoking is like a death escalator, the point at which you get off, your risk remains at that point. It doesn't decline.
The good news is that your cardiovascular risk does decline.

You know what else kills people?

Living.

Everyone is going to die - average age for uk is about 80

Last 5-to 10 of those you will be being 'kept alive' by various new drugs etc staving off simple things like the odd blood clot etc etc

You may get cancer at 55 and die

rarely is that dependant on whether you have smoked or not.

Largest guaranteed killer is overweight/obesity as that puts the big strain on the organs - which may already have been damaged by smoking/drinking/fatty foods/poor lifestyle.

Also lots of exercise during your forties probably just means you will need new hips/knees when you are 55-60 - not likely to increase life span.

All of these are generalisations and will apply to 90% of population.

There are always outlying stats of people who were healthy/died young or unhealthy/died old.

[d000hg]

Yeah great argument "you're going to die anyway so you might as well have a premature, overly painful death". Smoke if you want to smoke but let's not pretend it doesn't impact how long you're likely to live, the way you're likely to die, and your quality of life once you get older.

[Bee]

29,000 deaths a year in the UK are attributable to fine particulate pollution.

The diesel cars are the worse for the lung cancer and in Portugal, the state is giving tax circulation benefits to the diesel owners. I suspect this is a norm in most of the EU countries. This is driving me crazy. Is it the same in the UK?

[sasguru]

So why does all the literature tell you that after 10 years since quitting your risk falls to half that of a current smoker? Even the NHS website states that.

Your risk of lung cancer never falls.
But a smoker who doesn't quit rises up the risk escalator.
So if you have 2 smokers: one quits at 50, the other carries on - At 60 the smoker has twice the risk of the quitter.
The quitter still has much more risk than a never-smoker.
It's in the interets of the NHS to phrase it differently though.

[sasguru]

You know what else kills people?

Living.

Everyone is going to die - average age for uk is about 80

Last 5-to 10 of those you will be being 'kept alive' by various new drugs etc staving off simple things like the odd blood clot etc etc

You may get cancer at 55 and die

rarely is that dependant on whether you have smoked or not.

Largest guaranteed killer is overweight/obesity as that puts the big strain on the organs - which may already have been damaged by smoking/drinking/fatty foods/poor lifestyle.

Also lots of exercise during your forties probably just means you will need new hips/knees when you are 55-60 - not likely to increase life span.

All of these are generalisations and will apply to 90% of population.

There are always outlying stats of people who were healthy/died young or unhealthy/died old.

You really are a moron. HTH.

[Bee]

Your risk of lung cancer never falls.
But a smoker who doesn't quit rises up the risk escalator.
So if you have 2 smokers: one quits at 50, the other carries on - At 60 the smoker has twice the risk of the quitter.
The quitter still has much more risk than a never-smoker.
It's in the interets of the NHS to phrase it differently though.

Even if you quit smoking, you should evaluate your lung situation carefully for the rest of your life.

I know a case that cancer developed after quits smoking. According to the doctor, the tar was in some way stopping cancer to develop and he died. But of course, this is not an excuse for not stop smoking.