I have heard that a cigarette smoker becoems completely normal after 7 years of continous non-smoking?

Question

Is this true ? The reason is said to be the self rejuvenation that is intrinsic in all cells ...

Can anyone clarify please ?
Thanks

Answer 1

As soon as you snuff out that last cigarette, your body will begin a series of physiological changes.

Within 20 minutes: Blood pressure, body temperature and pulse rate will drop to normal.
Within 8 hours: Smokers breath disappears. Carbon monoxide level in blood drops and oxygen level rises to normal.
Within 24 hours: Chance of heart attack decreases.
Within 48 hours: Nerve endings start to regroup. Ability to taste and smell improves.
Within 3 days: Breathing is easier.
Within 2-3 months: Circulation improves. Walking becomes easier. Lung capacity increases up to 30%.
Within 1-9 months: sinus congestion and shortness of breath decrease. Cilia that sweep debris from your lungs grow back. Energy increases.
Within one year: Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a person who smokes.
Within 2 years: Heart attack risk drops to near normal.
Within 5 years: Lung cancer death rate for the average former pack a day smoker decreases by almost half that of a smoker.
Within 10 years: Lung cancer death rate is similar to that of a person who does not smoke. The pre-cancerous cells are replaced.
Within 15 years: Risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a person who has never smoked.

Answer 2

In 7-10 years the lungs become normal again in the since that they no longer have tar nor do they show signs of all the damage.. but the fact of the matter is that someone who smoked for a long time still has a higher risk of lung cancer.. it's just not as high as it would have been if they would have continued smoking.

Answer 3

This is what I have heard also, but I think the 7 years thing depends on how long you have been smoking. I think if someone had been smoking for years and years it would take a little bit longer for the lungs to heal.

Answer 4

Well, not quite:
"It's never too late to quit. People who quit smoking enjoy major health benefits for the rest of their lives. Your risk of a heart attack begins to drop within a week of quitting, and returns to average within two years. Although the lung damage of emphysema is permanent, for many people the disease stops progressing when they quit. Two years after quitting smoking, your risk of lung cancer drops up to a third, and within 10 years is nearly normal. As you quit smoking, you'll notice rewards: better-tasting food, no more nagging cough, more energy and stamina, more money and free time, fewer holes in your clothes. If you have children, you'll be a better role model. You'll be there for their future."

but here's another estimate:

"Lung cancer risk is greatly increased for smokers, often for many years after they quit smoking. The recent diagnosis of newscaster Peter Jennings 20 years after he had quit smoking (except for a brief period after 9/11) is a reminder of the lasting DNA damage smoking causes to lung cells. For most smokers who quit, the risk of lung cancer drops close to that of non-smokers after about 15 years, but research shows that former smokers are more vulnerable than others to the effects of secondhand smoke. Occupational exposure and exposure to air pollution can also play a role in lung cancer risk."


However long it may take, quitting's clearly the smart thing to do.

Answer 5

i heard that the chances of getting cancer from cig. smoking goes down to a non smoker in 6 months, and his lungs become normal again and pinky in 1 year.

Answer 6

I personally don't think that anyone that smokes is completely normal.

Answer 7

I learned in biology, many years ago that it takes a full 7 years to regenerate all of the cells in the body.

Answer 8

I know your lungs can repair themselves, but I don't know if they would be completely normal.

Answer 9

Better by far yes, but completly normal, nope.

Answer 10

not true and completely rediculous