Excess mortality of occasional smokers: study

In an American study published on June 3, researchers examine the real risks incurred by occasional smokers, compared to daily smokers.[1]The idea that occasional consumption is accompanied by low risks is indeed widespread: this study seeks to deconstruct it.

This large-scale survey was based on a representative sample of the American population, observing more than 500,000 people in the United States. The results show that daily smokers have a higher risk of mortality than non-smokers, while occasional smokers are 1.82 times more likely than non-smokers to die prematurely. The study also shows that the association between excess mortality and smoking was observed from the consumption of six to ten cigarettes per month.

Compared with never smokers, the risk of death from smoking-related cancer is 2.16 times higher among occasional smokers throughout their life. The risk of developing lung cancer is 5.64 times higher among occasional smokers throughout their life than among non-smokers. Finally, the risk of death is higher among occasional smokers throughout their life than among non-smokers for all cancers, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, and other causes of death.

In conclusion, while smokers reduce their risks by switching from daily to occasional consumption, it has been shown that there is no such thing as "light consumption", and that just a few cigarettes per month already represent a considerable health risk. Recent studies on the subject indicate that non-daily smokers have an average life expectancy five years lower than that of non-smokers. This study highlights the need to take this type of consumption into account in anti-smoking policies, especially since it points to the increase in the number of occasional smokers.

©Tobacco Free Generation

[1] Public Health, “Dose-Response Association of Low-Intensity and Nondaily Smoking With Mortality in the United States,” June 3.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2766667

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