Arteries recover quickly after smokers kick the habit

The Japanese have discovered some good news for young smokers looking to quit the habit, and for those who already have. Smoking causes heart disease and damages arteries by causing them to harden, but a new study of 20 and 30-something men found that as early as one month after breaking the habit the signs of heart disease disappeared and their arteries had returned to normal. And six months later the results held steady.

Although this study focused mainly on younger smokers, researchers are eager to see if the results hold true with an older population of smokers. Obviously, on top of the many many other health benefits, this is a huge motivation for people to kick the habit.

So if you're interested in quitting, don't let a false sense of "the damage has already been done" change your mind!