According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), smoking cessation can substantially reduce the risk of certain fatal diseases for women within just 5 years.

The study, conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, followed approximately 100,000 women between 1980 and 2004, and compared mortality rates of certain diseases between smokers, former smokers and never smokers.

Study Highlights:

• 13 percent reduction in overall risk of mortality within the first 5 years of smoking cessation when compared with continuing to smoke.
• 50 percent decrease in the risk of cardiovascular disease, specifically, coronary heart disease.
• 21 percent decrease in the risk of dying from lung cancer.

"There's such a great decline in the risk of some diseases that women who are contemplating whether or not to quit should really see a benefit quickly with smoking cessation," says Stacey Kenfield, of the Harvard School of Public Health. "Once you remove the carcinogens from tobacco smoke from your body, your body is able to repair itself."

WOMEN WHO QUIT SMOKING CAN DECREASE THEIR RISK OF CERTAIN FATAL DISEASES WITHIN JUST FIVE YEARS - News Video

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States today, with cigarette smoking being directly linked to 87 percent of lung cancer deaths and 30 percent of heart disease deaths.

Take charge and change your life -- quit smoking now.

Resources to Help You Quit Smoking:

• Quit Smoking 101 - A Free Email Course

• Products to Help You Quit Smoking

• Smoking Cessation Support Forum

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