Staying Healthy
Do past lifestyle habits affect future health?
On call
Q. I worry how much permanent damage my prior smoking and heavy drinking did to my body. I quit both five years ago. Will my past behavior affect how I age?
A. It's never too late to make healthier lifestyle choices. Some of the health risks of using tobacco and overusing alcohol begin to drop within days after you stop using them. To what degree does the amount and number of years of tobacco and alcohol use affect how long you live or the quality of your life is difficult to predict. It also depends on genetics, which we continue to explore.
Regarding your alcohol use, blood tests and perhaps a liver ultrasound to evaluate your liver status and function might reassure you. If you currently have no damage to your liver or other organs from alcohol, then it is unlikely you will have alcohol-related problems in the future.
Smoking is not so straightforward. Quitting can reduce your risk of heart disease back to baseline after five years. The risks of chronic lung disease and smoking-related cancers, especially lung cancer, have already gone down since you quit. And your risk will continue to drop with each passing year. However, the increased cancer risk and the chance of developing chronic lung disease never completely go away if a person has smoked regularly for many years.
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About the Author
Howard E. LeWine, MD, Chief Medical Editor, Harvard Health Publishing; Editorial Advisory Board Member, Harvard Health Publishing
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