Quitting Smoking before Age 40 Adds Nine Years to a Woman’s Life

Women who quit smoking before age 40 add more than nine years to their lives.

These findings were published in ‘The Lancet’ from a survey of 1.2 million British women. Subjects were followed for an average of 12 years and included 20 percent current smokers, 28 percent former smokers and 52 percent who never picked up the habit. Thirty-year olds had the biggest gains, adding more than 10 years. Smokers typically die from chronic lung disease, lung cancer, stroke or heart disease. Fun.

The paper did insist that this report was not saying it was “cool” or even safe to continue smoking until you're 40. It simply means the next time you decide to light up Betty Draper-style you should think you could be missing out on the last nine years of “Mad Men.” (In a perfect world, it will still be on.)

Future reports that will find ways to add years to your life include:

·         Not Walking Blindly Into Traffic After Age 8

·         Not Drinking Poison After Age 5

·         Not Voting For A Candidate Who Doesn’t Back Women’s Health Issues After Age 18