Smoking cessation promotes healthy lung cells

There are approximately 16 million smokers in France, mais sAccording to Tobacco Info Service, on average between 400,000 and 500,000 of them quit smoking each year for at least one year.

And the benefits of this withdrawal are numerous: lCell oxygenation returns to normal 8 hours after the last cigarette, ltaste and smell improve 48 hours laterhe risk of myocardial infarction decreases two weeks later, cough and fatigue decrease after 3 months. We recover breath. We walk more easily. The risk of stroke is similar to that of a non-smoker 5 years after the last cigarette.

New lung cells

However, the benefits don’t stop there. A recent study by University College London (UK) and published in the journal Nature shows that certain lung cells damaged by cigarettes are replaced by healthy cells after smoking cessation. The researchers analyzed the lung biopsies of sixteen people, which they divided into three groups: that of smokers, that of former smokers and finally, the group that never smoked.

These healthy cells that appear after weaning have been found to be of the same quality as those of a person who has never smoked. “Once the person has stopped smoking, the cells gradually proliferate in the area to replace the damaged cells, says Peter Campbell, the lead author of this study. It shows that it is never too late to quit smoking. ”

Historic decline in smokers in 2017

Exceptionally, data from the 2017 Public Health Health Barometer France had demonstrated that the prevalence of daily smoking had dropped from 29.4% in 2016 to 26.9% in 2017, a decrease of 2.5 points. This represents a million smokers less daily in a year. This historic drop is part of a strong context of the fight against smoking, with the implementation of important measures such as the sale of neutral packages, the increase in the price of tobacco, the No Tobacco Month, the reimbursement of substitutes, or even the launch of the Tabac info service application with Health Insurance.

Figures for 2018 have not yet been released. Impossible for the moment to know if it was an exception or if the French really decided to pass a course.

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