Fig. 1From: Smoking: additional burden on aging and deathEstimation of the aging effects of smoking. Prolonged smoking cessation resulted in a decreased relative risk of lung cancer mortality, as exhibited by the “delayed effect on aging” (Table 1). The relationship between the period of smoking cessation and the effect was plotted. Linear regression yielded the equation y = 0.401x − 1.175. The coefficient of the aging effect of smoking was 0.401/(1-0.401) = 0.669. This means that smokers become old 1.669 times faster than nonsmokers. The lag time between smoking and death was 1.175/0.401 = 2.93 yearsBack to article page