Benefits of quitting

After you quit smoking your risk of many medical problems goes down significantly. Compared to smokers, your...

• Stroke risk is reduced to that of a person who never smoked after 5 to 15 years of not smoking.
• Cancers of the mouth, throat, and esophagus risks are halved 5 years after quitting.
• Cancer of the larynx risk is reduced after quitting.
• Coronary heart disease risk is cut by half 1 year after quitting and is nearly the same as someone who never smoked 15 years after quitting.
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease risk of death is reduced after you quit.
• Lung cancer risk drops by as much as half 10 years after quitting.
• Ulcer risk drops after quitting.
• Bladder cancer risk is halved a few years after quitting.
• Peripheral artery disease goes down after quitting.
• Cervical cancer risk is reduced a few years after quitting.
• Low birth weight baby risk drops to normal if you quit before pregnancy or during your first trimester the benefits of quitting.

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Borrowed from the CDC Tobacco Information and Prevention Source, accessed on May 12, 2005 at http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr/sgr_2004/sgrposters.htm.