LONDON (Reuters) - Smoking in small quantities carries no less serious effect than smoking binge on the lungs, according to a study by Columbia University researchers.
The study was conducted on 25 thousand volunteers and varied cases between smokers and former smokers and smokers at a rate of five to a day, according to the site "Daily Mail" Britain.
The results showed that the rate of lung function decreased to 11.24 ml of air per year in smokers by 30 cigarettes per day.
Smokers at a rate of up to 5 cigarettes per day recorded a decrease in lung function to 7.65 ml per year.
According to experts, few smokers lose the same lung capacity over a year, compared to the heavily lost smokers in nine months.
Lung function is a measure of the amount of air a person can breathe in and out of, and that proportion naturally decreases with age, starting in the twenties.
The lead author, Dr. Elizabeth Olsner: "The smoking of some cigarettes per day is more dangerous than many people think, and the difference in the loss of lung function between a person who smokes five cigarettes a day for two packets per day is relatively small.
So the solution is to strongly encourage everyone to quit, no matter how many cigarettes they smoke every day. ”
The results also showed that the decline in lung function caused by smoking does not return to normal within a few years of smoking cessation, where some cases need for at least 30 years.