People say smoking one cigarette takes 11 minutes off your life (approximately). If you stop smoking early enough does this cancel this out or is the damage already done?

Question

People say smoking one cigarette takes 11 minutes off your life (approximately). If you stop smoking early enough does this cancel this out or is the damage already done?

In: Biology

Answer 1

It takes about 15 years after quitting for lungs to return to fully normal physiology and capacity (assuming you were a heavy smoker). That is if you haven’t developed cancerous cells before that.

That being said, my dad was a heavy smoker (more than a pack a day), then he quit. He had always been relatively sporty but started swimming every morning, . He now has a perfectly healthy heart and lungs, increased his lung capacity to 150%, and his doctor now says he has one of the healthiest cardiopulmonary systems he’s seen in a patient his age (60+). He hasn’t smoked in about 25 years. He watches his diet and has perfect blood values especially considering the family history of high cholesterol and lung cancer.

So all is not lost! Good luck on your quitting journey!