Messages encouraging smokers to quit could be added to cigarette packs. A draft proposal with the suggestion is being considered by the Government. According to the Department of Health, these inserts will highlight the financial and health benefits of giving up smoking and the support available to those trying to quit. The Department of Health hopes the inserts – which have already been used in other countries including Canada and Israel, with Australia also planning to introduce them – could lead to an additional 30,000 smokers giving up, saving up to £1.6 billion in health costs. Smoking is still one of the most preventable causes of illness and death in the UK, with around 76,000 people dying from it every year, according to NHS figures. The consultation launched on Monday and will be running until October. In the meantime, it’s always a good time to try and stop smoking, and focusing on the positive outcomes can help you stay on track too. Here are some of the financial and health benefits of quitting smoking… More disposable income Smoking costs around £17.3 billion a year across England overall, according to the latest 2023 economic data analysis commissioned by public health charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH). This includes a significant cost to the NHS and social care, with smoking-related admissions and primary treatments reportedly costing £1.9 billion yearly. However, quitting smoking could make a significant difference to people’s individual pockets too – a major incentive to beat the habit. Especially right now, with the cost of living so high. According to Everyone Health, if you get through 20 cigarettes a day, with a packet of cigarettes costing £13.30, that’s a spend of £93.10 per week, or £4,841.20 per year. The average smoker may smoke a bit less than that per day, but this could still add up to serious money. “The average smoker can save around £38 a week by quitting smoking, that’s £2,000 a year, according to the NHS,” said Abbas Kanani, a pharmacist at Chemist Click. What could you do for yourself and your family with that extra money? Better mental and physical healthThe good news is, evidence suggests quitting at any point in life leads to big improvements in your health, including increased life expectancy and lower disease risk. “Stopping smoking is one of the best things you will ever do for your health,” said Kanani. “Quitting smoking improves your physical health, and boosts your mental health and wellbeing after as little as six weeks of being smoke-free. Every time you smoke a cigarette, your body is flooded with thousands of chemicals, many of which are poisonous. “The day you stop, your body starts clearing itself of all those nasty toxins and the repair process begins. People who have quit also have increased positive mood compared with people who continue to smoke,” Kanani added: “Longer-term risks of cancer, lung disease, heart disease and stroke will be significantly reduced too. You will also be less likely to develop type 2 diabetes, bone disease including osteoporosis, eye disease and dementia.” Improved blood circulation “The blood circulation to your heart and muscles can improve, which will make physical activity easier and improve lung function, which leads to reductions in any cough, wheezing or other breathing problems,” continued Kanani. All of this will have a knock-on effect on how energised you feel day-to-day, as well as contributing to better general health in the short and long term. Improved sense of taste and smell Being able to taste and smell food better is another huge bonus to quitting smoking. George Sandhu, deputy superintendent pharmacist at Well Pharmacy, said: “There are a number of almost immediate benefits to stopping smoking, including healthier teeth and gums, fresher breath, and improved sense of taste and smell. In the longer term, you’ll probably find your breathing will improve, and ultimately you’ll probably end up living a longer, healthier life.” Protecting your loved ones from second-hand smoke Second-hand smoking or ‘passive smoking’ is dangerous too. According to the NHS, most of the smoke from a cigarette goes into the air around you and not your lungs – therefore it’s those around you or nearby that will breath it in. And as the World Health Organisation (WHO) highlights, tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year, including 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke. “Quitting means you’ll protect your loved ones from the potential health harms of second-hand smoke too,” said Kanani. If you would like support to help you quit smoking, talk to your GP or local pharmacist. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Is it ever safe to sunbathe? A beginner’s guide to pickling your homegrown fruit and veg Mother tried to cure son of disease by putting him in a hole as a child

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Jennifer Garner has opened up about motherhood, living in the Hollywood spotlight, and some of the anatomical mysteries that come with ageing. The 51-year-old actor, who recently posed for the May 2023 cover of Allure, shared her shocked reaction after an enlightening visit to her gynecologist. “I just learned that our vaginas may collapse,” Garner recalled. “I saw my OB this week and she gave me a pamphlet about vaginal collapse.” The 13 Going on 30 star described her panicked reaction upon learning about the vaginal prolapse, which occurs when the muscles that support the organs in the pelvis begin to weaken: “I’m like, ‘When? Is it imminent? Do I need to put it in my calendar? What is happening?!’” When asked by Allure whether the condition is the “same thing that happens when you pee if you sneeze,” Garner replied: “No, that’s not collapse. Collapse is like you can’t have sex because you can’t get in there because it’s collapsed on itself.” Not exactly. Vaginal prolapse, also referred to as vaginal collapse, happens when a person’s pelvic floor muscles weaken and stretch. This can result in the muscles that support the vagina dropping from their normal location in the body, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine. People assigned female at birth are at increased risk of developing vaginal prolapse if they delivered children vaginally and are approaching or experiencing menopause. In fact, it’s fairly common for people to experience some type of pelvic area prolapse later in life. Now that Jennifer Garner’s three children – whom she shares with ex-husband Ben Affleck – have grown older, the actor said she’s gained “a lot of faith” that her children will figure out who they’re supposed to be. “Being a mother was one thing I knew I was going to be,” the Alias star said. “I really could have been a mother in any way. I could have adopted, I could have fostered, but there was no doubt I was going to be a mom.” She continued: “Your kids will really figure out who they are and what they are when they’re older, and most likely they will hew toward lovely. I have a lot of faith in my kids. I don’t love every behavior all the time, always. It’s gnarly growing up.” Garner also revealed that her children – Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11 – prefer to watch their father Ben Affleck’s movies over her because they “don’t really want to see [her] in a romantic thing.” “They don’t mind watching their dad, but they kind of want me to be their mom. They don’t want to see me upset and women cry more in what we do,” she said. As for how she’s often perceived as the “nice” girl in Hollywood, Garner admitted that her sweet reputation can come with some downsides, especially when she’s not in the happiest of moods. “The problem with, ‘Oh, she’s so nice’ is that when I have any kind of boundary, people think of it as much more than it actually is,” she explained. “The problem is being recognised on a day where I’m not so nice or when I have blackness in my soul. I’ve definitely had days where I just can’t do it. I scowl at people before they can walk up to me. I’m not perfect, and I don’t think I’m rude, but I’m not good at being fake. I’m an open book of a person.” Garner has recently been praised on the internet for her “wholesome” social media presence, from home cooking shows to taking part in viral trends. But despite her viral Instagram, Garner previously revealed that her children aren’t on social media – and her eldest daughter is “grateful” for it. Last month, the Juno star explained to Today hosts Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb how she’s kept her three teenagers off social media. “I just said to my kids, ‘Show me the articles that prove that social media is good for teenagers, and then we’ll have the conversation,’” she shared. “Find scientific evidence that matches what I have that says that it’s not good for teenagers, then we’ll chat.” While her daughter Violet is “grateful” that she doesn’t have social media, she noted that Seraphina and Samuel are also still in their teens, so their perspectives on the topic could change over time. “It’s a long haul,” she said. “I have a couple more to go, so just knock on wood. We’ll see if I really hang in there.” Read More Jennifer Garner says she ‘works really hard’ to avoid seeing stories about ex-husband Ben Affleck in the press Jennifer Garner reveals her children aren’t on social media and says eldest daughter is ‘grateful’ for it Jennifer Garner sparks online obsession with her homemade Snickers: ‘Most wholesome person’ Jennifer Lopez ‘understands’ why her 15-year-old twins ‘don’t want to talk’ to her Can I go to work if my child has chickenpox? Harry Potter star Miriam Margolyes, 81, announces she’s been hospitalised