Smoking a single cigarette could take 20 minutes off life expectancy, new study says
Previous estimates said a single cigarette could cost you 11 minutes of your life expectancy - but that has been revised up in a new study.
If their quitting is successful until 5 August, they will likely live for a whole month longer than if they had continued to smoke.
The figures come from analysis commissioned by the Department for Health and Social Care and carried out by researchers from University College London (UCL).
According to the new estimates, the average man loses 17 minutes of life with every cigarette they smoke, while a woman's life is cut short by 22 minutes with each cigarette.
They said that the harm caused by smoking is "cumulative" and the sooner a person stops smoking, and the more cigarettes they avoid smoking, the longer they live.
The authors added: "Studies suggest that smokers typically lose about the same number of healthy years as they do total years of life.
