[LifeStyle] Former smokers: a healthy lifestyle may decrease death from any cause

[#Steeven.™]

Ex-smokers who maintain a healthy lifestyle have a lower risk of dying from any cause than those who don't, according to a new study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute (NCI)Exit Disclaimer, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Healthy habits. The decreased risk of death was seen for specific causes, including cancer and heart and lung disease. The findings could have important consequences for the 52 million former smokers in the United States.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, defined by being physically active and eating a healthy diet, was associated with a 27% decreased risk of death during the follow-up period of more than 19 years, compared with not maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

The findings, published September 22, 2022, in the JAMA Network Open, stem from an analysis of a large group of former smokers who participated in the NIH-American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) Diet and Health Study. .

Maki Inoue-Choi, M.D., of the National Cancer Institute's Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, the paper's lead author, said: "I was surprised to see the close relationship [with lifestyle]." "Former smokers who met the evidence-based recommendations for body weight, diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption had a lower mortality risk than former smokers who did not."

It is well known that quitting smoking has many health benefits, but former smokers are at greater risk of disease and premature death than people who never smoked.

Previous studies have suggested that people who follow healthy lifestyle recommendations, such as maintaining a healthy body weight, being physically active, eating a healthy diet, and limiting alcohol consumption, may have a lower risk of disease and death. However, there are few studies that analyze the benefit of this compliance by ex-smokers.

The current analysis included 159,937 former smokers who responded to questionnaires on lifestyle, demographics, and other health-related information between 1995 and 1996 when they enrolled in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. The participants, whose average age at study entry was 62.6 years, were followed for about 19 years. During the follow-up period, which was until 2019, 86,127 participants died. Information on deaths, including causes, was obtained from the National Death Index (NDI).

The investigators calculated a total compliance score for each participant that ranged from no compliance to full compliance. The total compliance score incorporated individual body mass index scores, according to World Health Organization guidelines; diet quality scores, based on the 2010-2015 Dietary Guidelines for Americans; physical activity scores, according to the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, second edition; and scores on alcohol consumption, according to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

Former smokers with the highest total adherence scores decreased their risk of death from any cause by 27%, compared with those with the lowest scores. Additionally, participants with the highest adherence total scores had a 24% decreased risk of death from cancer, a 28% decreased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, and a 30% decreased risk of death from respiratory disease. . The decreased risk of death was seen in all cases, regardless of health status, other conditions, the number of cigarettes the participants smoked per day, the years since they quit, or the age they started smoking.

The researchers also evaluated the benefit of each of the lifestyle recommendations. The lowest risk of death was observed in people with the highest score of compliance with these recommendations: physical activity (17% less), body weight (14% less), quality of food (9% less) and consumption of alcohol (4% less).

Dr. Inoue-Choi noted, "To get the most benefit, it's best to adhere to many lifestyle recommendations." "But even those who adopted a single lifestyle recommendation benefited."

The researchers cautioned that studies based on human data only demonstrate associations, not establish cause and effect. Although the investigators controlled for many factors that often make interpretation of the data difficult, they do not rule out the possibility that other factors may have affected the observed associations.

The researchers also noted that more studies are needed to explore the relationship between adherence to lifestyle recommendations and the risk of death among former smokers in more diverse po[CENSORED]tions. Dr. Inoue-Choi commented, "The NIH/AARP study included a po[CENSORED]tion that was predominantly white with relatively high socioeconomic status." "There is a need to answer these research questions for other po[CENSORED]tions."

About the National Cancer Institute: The National Cancer Institute (NCI) leads the National Cancer Program (NCP) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) initiatives to dramatically decrease cancer prevalence and improve the lives of people with cancer. NCI funds a wide variety of cancer research and training through grants and contracts outside of institutions. The research program within the institutions conducts studies of innovative clinical and epidemiological, basic and applicable research on the causes of cancer, ways of preventing it, risk prediction, early detection and treatment. These studies include research activities at the NIH Clinical Center, the world's largest research hospital. For more information on NCI intra-institutional research, see the Center for Cancer Research (CCR) and Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics (DCEG) pages. For more information about cancer, visit the NCI Web site at cancer.gov/espanol or call the NCI Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237 (1-800-4-CANCER).

About the National Institutes of Health: The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the national medical research agency, made up of 27 institutes and centers, and is a component of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). ). The NIH is the lead Federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical, and applied medical research and investigates the causes, treatments, and cures of common and rare diseases. To learn more about the NIH and its programs, visit health.nih.gov.

 

https://www.cancer.gov/espanol/noticias/comunicados-de-prensa/2022/estilo-de-vida-saludable-y-riesgo-de-muerte-exfumadores