Study: Women Now Die at Same Rate As Men From Smoking

Researchers attribute the change to women smoking more frequently and at a younger age.

New England Journal of Medicine released research Thursday, showing that U.S. women who smoke today have a much higher risk of dying from lung cancer than they did decades ago. Lung cancer risk leveled off in the 1980s for men but is still rising for women.

Researchers say its because they are starting younger and smoking more. The data represents a comprehensive look at long-term trends and includes the effects of smoking on the first generation of U.S. women who started early in life and continued for decades. Although the overall percentage of people who smoke is far lower than it used to be, smokers in the U.S. are three times more likely to die between ages 25 and 79 than non-smokers.

The published research features two studies, one by Dr. Prabhat Jha of the Center for Global Health Research in Toronto and the other led by Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society. (Washington Post)

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