Dutch cardiologists believe kicking the butt could give you an extra five years of healthy life. Researchers involved 1,000 smokers who had recently had a heart attack or bypass surgery but didn’t actually track participants. They relied on a mathematical model to calculate the effects of giving up cigarettes.
They claimed giving up smoking was just as effective as taking three types of heart medications theoretically. Around 6.9 million Britons smoke, but over half say they want to quit. The lead author of the study Dr. Tinka Van Trier of Amsterdam University Medical Centre said, “The benefits of smoking cessation are even greater than we realized. Kicking the habit appears to be as effective as taking three medications for preventing heart attacks and strokes in those with a prior heart attack or procedure to open blocked arteries. Patients could gain nearly five years of healthy life.”
Presented at a European Society of Cardiology conference, the research involved 989 patients aged 45 or older. They were all still smoking at least six months after having a heart attack or bypass surgery. Dr. Van Trier added, “This analysis focused on smokers who had experienced a heart attack and/or undergone stent implantation or bypass surgery. This group is at particularly high risk of having another heart attack or a stroke and stopping smoking is potentially the most effective preventive action.”
The study was designed to calculate the number of years of life they would gain by giving up smoking. They compared this to taking three medications - colchicine - an anti-inflammatory therapy, and cholesterol-fighting bempedoic acid and PCSK9 inhibitors.
Quitting smoking added an extra 4.81 years to people’s lives, on average, the research claimed. This compared to 4.83 years from the three medications.
Dr. Van Trier said, “This indicates that smoking cessation is a very important step towards adding healthy years to one’s lifetime. Giving up cigarettes after a heart attack is linked with improved survival compared with persistent smoking. If you are considering becoming smoke-free or would like more information about it, please talk to a health professional.”
They added, “Your motivation is key to successfully quit, but beating an addiction becomes easier with medical and psychological assistance.”
