by Jeremy Manier
Both of this year's presidential candidates say they are ex-smokers, but recent research suggests that they may face increased health risks from cigarettes for years to come.
Some of the damage that cigarettes inflict on the body subsides quickly, halving the risk of heart disease and stroke within five years after a smoker quits. But the effect of smoking on risks of cancer and other diseases can persist for decades, experts say.
Even Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), 71, who quit smoking in 1980, still faces some increased risk of cancer from smoking two packs a day for 25 years, studies suggest. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), 46, who says he has struggled to stay off cigarettes since quitting last year, may have less long-term risk because he smoked fewer cigarettes per day.
A major message of the research is that people who quit at a young age are far better off than those who put it off until later. Obama and McCain, both of whom waited until their mid-40s to quit, would have been measurably better off if they had stopped a decade sooner, experts said.
Read the full article in the Chicago Tribune.
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Comments
Almost every pool reporter that's covered Obama says he still sneaks smoke breaks on the campaign trail so calling him an ex-smoker and saying he "quit" shows just how far in the bag the swamp is for this guy. McCain has released his medical records. Obama hasn't. What's Obama hiding?
Posted by: Jeff | July 8, 2008 3:57 PM