"I’ve smoked for 40 years. Will it really make any difference if I quit now?"

A study just released suggests that there is hope even for long-term smokers who kick the habit. The Harvard Nurses’ Study, an ongoing study of over 100,000 female nurses, looked at current smokers, former smokers, and non-smokers between 1980 and 2004.

Women that smoked an average of 35 cigarettes per day for 40 years were 40 times more likely to die from lung cancer in the study, but those that quit, dropped that risk by 21% in 5 years. Though the drop in risk for lung cancer was more gradual than that for heart disease, 20 years after quitting smoking the risk of death from all causes was similar to that of someone who had never smoked.

For those that have lung cancer, quitting smoking can make a difference both in survival following surgery and response to treatment. Read D-Day After a Diagnosis of Lung Cancer – Is It Worth It?.

It’s never too late to quit! About.com’s Smoking Cessation Guide, Terry Martin, offers a free email course to help you get started.

_{Source:
Smoking and Smoking Cessation in Relation to Mortality in Women. Kenfield, S. et al. Journal of the American Medical Association. 2008. 299(17):2037-2047.}