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In the last fifty years, anti-tobacco efforts have saved 8 million lives in United States so far, a new analysis shows.

Smoking rates have decreased 59 percent since a report in 1964 was published that concluded that tobacco caused lung cancer. Statistically, the rates have dipped down to 18% in 2012 compared to 42% in 1964.

Another interesting observations that the analysis discovered was that by avoiding the tobacco people managed to gain nearly two decades of life.

“Tobacco control has been described, accurately, as one of the great public health successes of the 20th century,” CDC director Thomas Frieden wrote according to USA Today. 

The analysis also found that an American man’s life expectancy at age 40 has increased by an average of nearly eight years. In the case of women, the increment was found to be nearly 5 and half year.

Researchers also noted that smoking remained a major health challenge and nearly one-third of non-smokers are still exposed to secondhand smoke. Though, smoking is still common in TV and other places.

Altrai, the parent company for tobacco giant Philip Morris USA also cleared that its main goal was to simply make current smokers aware of its brand and had no interest in gaining more.

“Adults should have the ability to choose to purchase a legal product,” said David Sylvia, a spokesman for Altria, according to USA Today. “We want to make sure that when adult, current smokers are choosing their brand, they think about our brand.”

The analysis has been published in the Journal Of American Medical Association.