Quit smoking to increase longevity

London : Women who give up smoking before the age of 30 can cut 97 percent of the health risks associated with the habit, according to a British study.

Even giving up before 40 cuts the risk by 90 percent, according to a study of 1.3 million women by Oxford University researchers.

But women who don?t give up and continue smoking into middle age lose at least 10 years of life, The Independent reported Saturday.

The findings show that smokers who continue with the habit after 40 have 10 times the risks of those who stop at 40.

The risks are highest among the heaviest smokers, but even light smokers, who consume between 1 and 9 cigarettes a day, have twice the risk of dying prematurely compared with non-smokers.

Although the figures are drawn from women smokers, experts said men faced a similar risk, according to the newspaper.