Those who quit smoking after lung cancer diagnosis double their chances of survival.

Smoker's have a 20 times greater lifetime risk for developing lung cancer. Smoking cessation lowers the risk of developing lung cancer, but does cessation after lung cancer diagnosis improve outcomes? Investigators in England have conducted a meta-analysis of 10 studies to provide answers to that question. The good news is that quitting smoking after diagnosis of early stage lung cancer was associated with significantly lower rates of recurrence and death.

PositiveTip: It is never too late to stop smoking, and is usually the best single thing you can do to improve your health!

Quitting cigarettes associated with short-term increase in diabetes risk.

Can doing something very good for your health raise the risk of another problem? A 9 year study showed that those who quit smoking had significantly increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes during the first 3 years of cessation. Smokers who don't quit also face an increased risk of this disease, but the adjusted risk was higher in the short-term for those who quit. Perhaps weight and systemic inflammation contribute to this increased risk. In light of these findings should smoker's quit? Absolutely! The authors write, "Of course, smoking cessation has many beneficial health effects that outweigh this short-term risk." There are no excuses here!