title: A pilot investigation of the impact of smoking cessation on biological age.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Smoking is known to increase biological age. However, whether this process is reversible through smoking cessation is not known. In this pilot study, we attempt to determine whether smoking cessation reduces biological age.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted regression analyses of methylation data from 22 subjects, as they entered and exited inpatient substance use treatment, to determine change in biological age, as indicated by the deviation of their methylomic age from chronological age across two time points.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that, as compared to those subjects who did not stop smoking, subjects who significantly decreased their smoking consumption over a 1 month time period exhibited a marked reduction in methylomic age.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rapid and substantial reversal of accelerated aging associated with successful smoking cessation suggests that it can reverse well-known smoking effects on methylomic aging. This preliminary finding can be readily examined in other, larger data sets, and if replicated, this observation may provide smokers with yet another good reason to quit smoking.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Successful smoking cessation makes patients appear biologically younger than they were at baseline, and to do so quite rapidly. In today's youth driven society, our observations may serve as a powerful impetus for some to quit smoking. (Am J Addict 2017;26:129-135).
authors.affiliation: Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.|Department of Sociology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
authors.forename: Man-Kit
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Lei
authors.affiliation: Center for Family Research, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.|Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
authors.forename: Steven R H
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Beach
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Meeshanthini V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Dogan
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa.|Behavioral Diagnostics, Iowa City, Iowa.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Philibert
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology / Q000523:psychology; D019588:Aging, Premature / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D000067029:Physical Appearance, Body / Q000502:physiology; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D016540:Smoking Cessation / Q000523:psychology*