March 9, 2010BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) -- Brazil's president says a recent health scare led him to quit smoking -- a habit he's had for 50 years.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva tells The Associated Press in an interview he hasn't smoked for 40 days.
Silva says he's tried to quit before, but thinks it will be for good this time because he's now 64.
Silva's comments Tuesday came when he was asked about a spike in blood pressure in January that forced him to cancel plans to attend the World Economic Forum. He had to spend a night in a hospital.
Silva says, "It was a nuisance, but the good thing is that I quit smoking."
And he adds that he feels much better since he stopped.
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
