The health benefits of quitting smoking are profound, even among long term smokers and a new study has added yet another item to that already long list of positives.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin in Madison followed nearly one thousand people who quit smoking using a number of different methods.? The subjects who were still cigarette free after a year showed a significant improvement in HDL cholesterol.? The increase in good cholesterol was even visible among subjects who gained weight over the course of the study.
Though no correlation between quitting smoking and LDL cholesterol was noted, an AHA spokesperson suggested that if subjects hadn?t packed on weight while quitting, that positive effects on both HDL and LDL cholesterol may have been noticed.? This could mean that if people were given a diet and exercise plan to follow by their health care provider in addition to the method of smoking cessation, that dramatic improvements could possibly have been made on overall cholesterol levels.
Quitting smoking may seem like an impossible task, especially for people who?ve tried unsuccessfully before, but there is plenty of help available for those who need it.? Talk to your health care provider about your desire to quit and ask for suggestions on the most affordable, most effective and safest methods of assistance.