Study reveals the harm caused by smoking

It is not a critical advertisement that smoking is harmful to you; For starters, it has recently been linked to nearly 30 percent of cancer deaths in the United States. But a new study has revealed for the first time that smoking does more harm to your health than just smoking. In fact, it damages the body’s DNA.

According to study results published this month in the journal Science , researchers found that after just one year of smoking a pack of cigarettes every day, patients studied new gene mutations: 97 in cells lining the larynx, 39 in cells lining the larynx, and 23 in laryngeal cells. mouth cavity. . Some of these mutations were harmless, but the more there were, the higher the risk of one or more of them turning into cancer.

Impact on members without direct exposure.

Even organs that were not directly exposed to tobacco smoke appeared to be affected. The researchers counted about 18 new mutations in each bladder cell and six new mutations in each liver cell each year. Smokers inhaled one can a day.

“This study confirms, at the molecular level, what we’ve known for many years,” says Bruce Gershenhorn, MD, a medical oncologist at our hospital near Chicago. He did not participate in the study. “Toxins in cigarettes cause direct damage to DNA, leading to hundreds of cancer-causing mutations.”

The findings are based on a genetic analysis of more than 5,000 tumors, including 2,490 that were removed from smokers and 1,063 from patients who said they had never smoked. “We hope that this information will allow researchers to develop specific new methods of eliminating deadly cancer cells,” says Dr. Gerschenhorn.

Smoking is a risk factor for at least 17 types of cancer and is estimated to kill nearly 6 million people worldwide each year. Tobacco smoke is a mixture of chemicals, 60 of which are known carcinogens. According to the American Lung Association, men who smoke are 23 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who have never smoked, and women are 13 times more likely to develop lung cancer.

Great American smoke

To raise awareness and help Americans quit smoking, the American Cancer Society (ACS) dedicates one day each year to encourage smokers to quit as part of the Great American Smoking Event. This year it is Thursday 17 November. According to the ACS, about 40 million Americans smoke cigarettes, and tobacco use remains the world’s leading preventable cause of disease and premature death. Even quitting smoking for a day is a huge step towards a healthier life.

There are many smoking cessation methods available to help, including nicotine replacement products such as nicotine gum, patches, or lollipops. NRT can also help relieve withdrawal symptoms and reduce the urge to smoke. Other medications are designed to block the effects of nicotine and reduce withdrawal symptoms. Counseling can also help.

“As we shed more light on the catastrophic health effects of smoking, we must strengthen our focus on smoking cessation programmes,” says Dr. Gershenhorn.