After getting a warning about heart health from his
doctor, Malcolm has decided to end his 20 years of
smoking. What will most likely be the state of his health
in four years' time?
His health will be the same as that of a non-smoker
He will be healthier but may still have problems,
such as high blood pressure,
How the body changes after your last cigarette
20-30 min: decreased blood pressure
8 hours: reduced carbon dioxide and increased oxygen
in bloodstream
2 days: improved sense of smell and taste
2 weeks-3 months: improved circulation and lung
function
1-9 months: reduced coughing and congestion; better
overall energy
1 year: risk of heart disease cut in half
5 years: risk of stroke and cervical cancer reduced to
level of nonsmoker, risk of mouth, throat, esophagus, and
bladder cancer cut in half
10-15 years: risk of heart disease and death similar to
nonsmoker
His health will be greatly improved, but he will still
face risk for certain conditions,
His health will be slightly improved, but he will still
have high risk of heart disease.