How Tobacco Can Damage Your Immune System For Years

 

Tobacco Consumption

A new study reveals that smoking tobacco not only affects a person's immediate health but also has long-term impacts on their immune system, leaving them vulnerable to diseases and infections even years after they have quit the habit. Published in the journal Nature, this study sheds light on a little-known but significant aspect of the impact of smoking on health.

Although smoking rates have fallen since the 1960s, the disease remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, killing more than 480,000 people a year. While the risks of diseases such as lung cancer, heart attacks and strokes associated with smoking are well known, this new study offers a unique perspective on how it affects the immune system.

The study, led by Dr. Violaine Saint-André of the Pasteur Institute in Paris, analyzed blood samples from 1,000 healthy people between the ages of 20 and 69 over time. The researchers looked at how factors such as smoking, body mass index, and latent infections affected the body's immune response.

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They found that smoking had a significant impact on the body's ability to fight infections, comparable to the effect of factors such as age and sex.

“Quitting smoking as soon as possible is crucial,” warns Dr. Saint-André.

The immune system does not recover

One of the most worrying findings of the study is that although the immune response improves when smokers quit, it does not fully recover for years. Dr. Darragh Duffy, co-author of the study, emphasizes the importance of quitting smoking as soon as possible to begin the immune recovery process.

The study also revealed that the impact of smoking on the immune system is not limited to short-term effects. Long-term epigenetic changes were found that affect both the innate and adaptive immune responses. While the innate response is affected more immediately, the adaptive response shows persistent changes even after quitting smoking.

Experts highlight the importance of this study to better understand the mechanisms behind the harmful effects of smoking on health. Dr. Yasmin Thanavala, whose research on the immune response to smoking is mentioned in the study, describes the findings as a “wonderful validation” of previous research.

Despite the importance of this study, the researchers point out some limitations, such as the homogeneity of the participants, who were all French and did not represent genetic and body weight diversity. However, they emphasize that these findings are an important step to better understand the health effects of smoking and highlight the need for more research in this field.

Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer of the American Medical Association, says this study provides a deeper understanding of why smoking has so many adverse health effects, from lung disease to immune problems. He concludes that this study reinforces the importance of public health policies to reduce smoking and promote healthier lifestyles.