Federal government websites often end in. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you're on a federal government site. The site is secure. NCBI Bookshelf. Evidence on the health benefits of smoking cessation continues to expand and evolve since the topic was last covered comprehensively in the report of the Surgeon General.
This chapter primarily reviews the findings published between and on disease risks from smoking and how these risks change after smoking cessation for major types of chronic diseases, including cancer, the cardiovascular and respiratory systems, and a wide range of reproductive outcomes. The more recent studies expand the observational evidence documenting the benefits of smoking cessation and provide insights into the mechanisms underlying these benefits.
The review of the effects of smoking cessation on reproductive outcomes documents health benefits of maternal smoking cessation across all phases of reproduction, from preconception to birth, and also for male reproductive health. Chapter 5 summarizes the health benefits of smoking cessation for all-cause mortality in the general population; thus, that topic is not discussed here. This chapter also addresses the clinically relevant benefits of cessation for mitigating the effects of diseases, particularly in persons with cancer and coronary heart disease.
This chapter also reviews cessation and cardiovascular disease and the implications of cessation for the natural history of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
There are methodologic challenges related to assessing smoking cessation and its links to health outcomes in both observational and intervention studies. Risks in former smokers should be compared with those of current or never smokers, thus necessitating a precise definition of former smoking Lindstrom ; the same is true for time since cessation, cumulative smoking e.
