Smoking cessation reduces mortality at any age, according to a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The study look at data on more than 160,000 people over the age of 70 in the US, who had completed a questionnaire on their smoking habits in 2004 to 2005. This group were followed up until the end of 2011.

Results showed that people still smoking at the time of the follow-up were three times more likely to die before the end of the study than those who had never smoked .

Furthermore, people who had smoked but quit at any age reduced their mortality significantly. The rate of mortality halved in those who stopped smoking between age 40-49, by a third in those aged 50-59 and by nearly a quarter for 60-69 year-olds.

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