HEALTH PROFILES OF CURRENT AND FORMER SMOKERS AND LIFELONG ABSTAINERS

The aim of this study was to determine the extent to which smokers and smoking quitters differ in habits and risk factors from non-smokers. Subjects comprised 8,109 patients aged 35-67 years having health check s in British primary care. We compared lifestyle and measured cardiova scular risk factors in smokers, former smokers and lifelong abstainers in cross-sectional analyses, and in prospective data in quitters. Res ults were adjusted for confounding factors. Considering 25 aspects of lifestyle, smokers had significantly worse habits in 20 compared to ab stainers, and in 17 compared to former smokers. These included eating more white bread, full cream milk, fried food and meat, and less fruit and vegetables, wholemeal bread and bran cereals. Smokers report drin king more alcohol and taking less exercise. Smokers' mean serum levels were higher for total and low density lipoprotein cholesterol and tri glycerides and lower for high density lipoprotein cholesterol. Within five years ex-smokers' data became comparable to lifelong abstainers f or most factors, with apparent attenuation over up to 20 years for tri glyceride, body mass index and scores for fibre and polyunsaturated fa t intake. Smokers who quit after initial examinations had better healt h profiles even before quitting (p = 0.016) and subsequently made more beneficial health changes (p = 0.039) than continuing smokers. Smokin g is associated with relatively poor health choices and risk factor le vels. Stopping smoking is associated with a wide range of improved hea lth markers beyond avoidance of tobacco toxicity.