Study Finds Each Cigarette Reduces Life Expectancy by 20 Minutes

British researchers reveal updated findings on smoking's impact, prompting new public health initiatives and proposed tobacco restrictions.

Overview

Research from University College London estimates each cigarette reduces life expectancy by an average of 20 minutes, with men losing 17 minutes and women 22 minutes per cigarette.
The findings are based on updated analyses of two long-term British studies, incorporating more recent data and broader factors than earlier estimates from 2000.
The British government has launched a campaign to encourage smoking cessation and plans to gradually ban tobacco sales by incrementally raising the legal purchase age.
The proposed legislation would prevent individuals born after January 1, 2009, from ever legally buying tobacco products in the UK.
Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the UK, accounting for 80,000 annual deaths and a quarter of all cancer cases.