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Smoking: It’s Killing Us

Posted on by Dr. Francis Collins

Map of the United States showing Percentage of adult population that smokes. Highest percentages in West Virginia, Kentucky, and Oklahoma
Source: Smokefree.gov

 

Smoking harms just about every body part—from heart and lungs to bladder and blood vessels. What’s new is that smoking is more of a health hazard than we thought. Two new, NIH-funded reports make the persuasive, and alarming, case—on average, smoking takes an entire decade off of your life! But smokers take note: there are tremendous benefits from quitting, regardless of your age.