EP 243 : Can Quitting Smoking Add 10 Years to Your Life?

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Prabhat Jha, Nuffield Professor at the University of Oxford and Professor of Global Health at the University of Toronto. A world-leading epidemiologist who led the Million Death Study tracking premature deaths across India, he discovered that quitting before age 40 avoids nearly all smoking risks. Vikas & Dr. Jha discussed in detail the massive underestimation of smoking dangers, why cigarettes are lethal, how the tobacco industry engineers addiction, and the surprising speed at which your body repairs itself after quitting.

Here are some key takeaways:

• A typical smoker loses a full decade of life - Worldwide, smoking kills 5-7 million people annually, including a million in India alone. Even light smokers face tripled mortality risk.
• Duration matters more than quantity - Smoking just 2-5 cigarettes daily for 20 years is far worse than a pack a day for 10 years. Prolonged exposure drives cancer and arterial damage.
• Quitting works fast and dramatically - Half the excess risk disappears within three years of quitting. Quit by 40 and you avoid 9 years of lost life; even quitting at 60 gives back 4 years.
• The tobacco industry engineers your addiction - Companies manipulate nicotine pH for maximum brain impact, target specific demographics with customized products
• Smoking damages every organ in your body - From mouth to bladder, smoking causes cancer throughout the digestive and urinary systems, destroys lung elasticity, damages arteries causing heart attacks and strokes, and reactivates dormant TB infections.

About Vikas Singh:
Vikas Singh, an MBA from Chicago Booth, worked at Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, APGlobale, and Reliance before coming up with the idea of democratizing fitness knowledge and helping beginners get on a fitness journey. Vikas is an avid long-distance runner, building fitpage to help people learn, train, and move better.
For more information on Vikas, or to leave any feedback and requests, you can reach out to him via the channels below:
Instagram: @vikas_singhh
LinkedIn: Vikas Singh
Twitter: @vikashsingh101

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