20 Minutes of Life Lost Per Cigarette : Study Highlights Smoking’s Deadly Impact
Every cigarette smoked reduces life expectancy by approximately 20 minutes, according to a groundbreaking study from University College London (UCL) released Monday. The research shows that smoking a single pack of 20 cigarettes can shorten a person’s life by nearly seven hours, underscoring the devastating health impacts of the habit.
The findings emphasize the benefits of quitting, even for long-term smokers. For example, someone smoking 10 cigarettes daily could prevent the loss of a full day of life by quitting on January 1 and avoid losing up to 50 days of life by the end of the year. Sarah Jackson, from UCL’s Alcohol and Tobacco Research Group, stressed that quitting at any age can significantly improve life expectancy, with benefits beginning almost immediately.
The study comes as the UK advances its Tobacco and Vapes Bill, which seeks to create the first smoke-free generation by banning tobacco sales to individuals born after January 1, 2009. Public Health Minister Andrew Gwynne called smoking a “deadly habit,” while new research shows over half of smokers plan to quit as a 2025 New Year’s resolution. Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the UK, responsible for 80,000 deaths annually.
