Smoking fewer than ten cigarettes a day significantly increases the risk of dying from lung cancer or a severe respiratory disease, according to a study by the European Respiratory Society. While the health risks of chain smoking and the impact on others from second-hand smoke are well-known, many smokers who struggle to quit try to reduce the number of cigarettes they smoke each day. However, the study found that even smoking a few cigarettes a day can have a significant impact on health. The study analyzed data from a US long-term study of 18,730 participants, with an average age of 61 years old, and found that occasional smokers were 2.5 times more likely to die from respiratory diseases and 8.6 times more likely to die from lung cancer than non-smokers.
The study also found that the health risks of occasional smokers were not significantly lower than those of heavy smokers, despite smoking less than half as many cigarettes. The risk of dying from lung cancer for occasional smokers was 71% of that for heavy smokers, while the risk of dying from respiratory diseases was 49% of that for heavy smokers. The study’s lead author, Pallavi Balte of Columbia University, said that the results showed that “even social smoking is disproportionately harmful” and advised all smokers to quit completely if they want to avoid dying from lung cancer or respiratory diseases.
The study’s findings are particularly relevant given that the proportion of smokers who smoke fewer than ten cigarettes a day has increased from 16% to 27% in the US, according to Balte. She said that while everyone knows smoking is unhealthy, it is easy to assume that the risk is not as high if you only smoke a little. The study’s results provide clear evidence that even occasional smoking can have a significant impact on health and that quitting smoking altogether is the best way to avoid the risk of dying from lung cancer or respiratory diseases.
