WEBVTT 00:00:09.312 --> 00:00:12.195 There are lots of ways in which smoking harms the body. 00:00:13.015 --> 00:00:16.725 Cigarette smoke contains over 70 substances 00:00:16.725 --> 00:00:20.366 that are or are suspected to be carcinogenic. 00:00:21.124 --> 00:00:24.413 It is common knowledge that smoking causes lung cancer. 00:00:25.053 --> 00:00:28.928 But cigarette smoking also causes other cancers, 00:00:28.928 --> 00:00:31.178 particular of the upper airways, 00:00:31.178 --> 00:00:36.303 and is also a risk factor in cancers such as bladder, kidney and breast cancer. 00:00:37.404 --> 00:00:41.435 Smoking also causes chronic respiratory disease 00:00:41.435 --> 00:00:43.732 and damages the cardiovascular system. 00:00:44.357 --> 00:00:46.724 It also weakens the immune system, 00:00:46.724 --> 00:00:50.294 making smokers more prone to infectious diseases. 00:00:51.138 --> 00:00:57.653 The overall life expectancy of smokers is ten years less on average than non-smokers’. 00:00:58.872 --> 00:01:05.051 So how quickly does the body recover when smokers stop smoking? 00:01:05.051 --> 00:01:07.309 Can it in fact recover at all? 00:01:08.082 --> 00:01:09.550 The answer is yes, it can. 00:01:10.257 --> 00:01:13.663 However the extent to which their body recovers 00:01:13.663 --> 00:01:17.108 depends on how old they are and how long and how much they smoked. 00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:21.641 People who give up cigarettes before their 40th birthday 00:01:21.641 --> 00:01:26.554 reduce their risk of dying from smoking by 90%. 00:01:28.476 --> 00:01:34.508 But in terms of physical and mental health it is always worth giving up smoking, 00:01:34.508 --> 00:01:36.351 even for people who have smoked for years 00:01:36.351 --> 00:01:38.929 or who are already ill as a result of smoking. 00:01:40.288 --> 00:01:43.530 Giving up smoking for good has immediate effects on the body: 00:01:44.334 --> 00:01:48.342 • After 12 hours the oxygen supply to the body improves. 00:01:49.092 --> 00:01:55.756 • After one day the heartbeat slows and blood pressure and circulation improves. 00:01:56.631 --> 00:02:01.521 • The risk of a heart attack drops sharply in just 24 hours. 00:02:02.646 --> 00:02:07.161 • After 2-3 days the sense of smell and taste improves. 00:02:07.981 --> 00:02:12.450 People also start to notice that they can breathe more freely. 00:02:13.646 --> 00:02:15.615 • A few weeks after stopping smoking 00:02:15.615 --> 00:02:19.927 the circulation stabilizes and there is a noticeable improvement in lung function, 00:02:21.060 --> 00:02:23.811 irritations and inflammations subside 00:02:23.811 --> 00:02:29.200 and the lungs gradually resume their self-cleaning function. 00:02:29.849 --> 00:02:33.919 • A few months after stopping, bouts of coughing are rarer 00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:40.000 and shortness of breath clears up as the lungs’ self-cleaning function is restored. 00:02:40.724 --> 00:02:46.161 If people already have a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) 00:02:46.161 --> 00:02:47.911 its progression slows. 00:02:48.942 --> 00:02:52.981 Medication is more effective and symptoms are less severe. 00:02:53.676 --> 00:02:57.082 This not only increases quality of life 00:02:57.082 --> 00:03:02.417 but also extends the life of people with this (mostly smoking-related) disease. 00:03:03.355 --> 00:03:07.261 It also improves people’s condition and their immune system, 00:03:07.261 --> 00:03:09.221 reducing the risk of infection. 00:03:10.065 --> 00:03:11.870 It also firms up the skin. 00:03:13.909 --> 00:03:19.119 • After just one year former smokers halve their risk 00:03:19.119 --> 00:03:23.000 of cardiovascular diseases such as a heart attack or stroke. 00:03:23.909 --> 00:03:27.237 The risk then continues to fall slowly but steadily. 00:03:27.791 --> 00:03:31.151 After around 15 years it drops to the same low level 00:03:31.151 --> 00:03:33.166 as that of a lifelong non-smoker. 00:03:33.885 --> 00:03:39.806 • The risk of lung cancer remains higher than for a lifelong non-smoker for the longest. 00:03:40.275 --> 00:03:43.549 But it starts falling immediately after the last cigarette. 00:03:44.017 --> 00:03:48.790 The sooner you give up smoking the more the risk falls. 00:03:49.524 --> 00:03:51.985 The same applies to other cancers. 00:03:52.571 --> 00:03:58.000 Nicotine is highly addictive and makes it very difficult to give up smoking. 00:03:58.688 --> 00:04:03.422 Smoking cessation programs are the most promising long-term options, 00:04:03.422 --> 00:04:07.687 where a series of group sessions run by experts 00:04:07.687 --> 00:04:09.867 follow a multi-pronged approach. 00:04:10.882 --> 00:04:16.796 They work with concomitant therapies such as nicotine replacement products 00:04:16.796 --> 00:04:22.616 that alleviate the symptoms of withdrawal and double the chances of success. 00:04:23.890 --> 00:04:27.186 This is combined with behavioral therapy. 00:04:27.186 --> 00:04:32.733 In supportive groups, people are made aware of their physical dependency 00:04:32.733 --> 00:04:36.999 and routines or social situations that encourage them to smoke, 00:04:36.999 --> 00:04:38.178 and deal with these. 00:04:39.162 --> 00:04:43.349 Many smokers are worried about gaining weight, 00:04:46.365 --> 00:04:51.000 but the health risks associated with smoking are far greater than the risks 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:53.000 of putting on a few kilos of weight. 00:04:53.943 --> 00:04:58.521 Sport, exercise, eating a healthy diet and behavioral therapy 00:04:58.521 --> 00:05:01.474 can offset any weight gain in the longer term. 00:05:02.450 --> 00:05:03.771 In short: 00:05:04.271 --> 00:05:07.160 The body can regenerate after you stop smoking. 00:05:07.848 --> 00:05:11.965 The extent to which this happens depends on how long and how heavily 00:05:11.965 --> 00:05:14.480 the person has been smoking, as well as their age. 00:05:14.894 --> 00:05:18.449 It’s always worth giving up smoking for health reasons, 00:05:18.449 --> 00:05:24.386 even (particularly) if someone already has a lung or heart condition. 00:05:25.261 --> 00:05:30.253 Recovery rates differ depending on symptoms. 00:05:30.253 --> 00:05:34.753 For example, the sense of taste or smell is restored in days, 00:05:34.753 --> 00:05:38.371 and people feel they can breath more freely quite quickly. 00:05:38.371 --> 00:05:42.456 People’s condition and the immune system improve in a couple of months 00:05:42.456 --> 00:05:45.737 and coughing clears up as well as COPD symptoms. 00:05:46.307 --> 00:05:51.244 The risk of heart attack or stroke falls sharply in 5 years. 00:05:51.526 --> 00:05:55.463 The increase in risk of lung cancer persists longest 00:05:55.463 --> 00:05:58.666 but starts falling immediately after the last cigarette. 00:05:58.666 --> 00:06:02.861 Smoker cessation programs led by professionals 00:06:02.861 --> 00:06:07.837 and including drug therapy are the most helpful in stopping tobacco use.