A latest study brings out a gloomy disclosure for those who wish to leave the smoking fraternity.Smoking not only is the cause for 87 percent of lung cancer, but also responsible for several other cancers and health problems. Scientists in Canada assayed gene expression levels in tissue scraped from the airways of four non-smokers (who had never smoked), eight current smokers, and twelve former smokers who had gone without a cigarette for at least one year and up to 32 years.
They found that some genes with altered expression in smokers had returned to normal levels in former smokers. But the expression of another 124 genes had not returned to normal.
The results revealed that those who quit smoking reduce their risk of disease but it is not going back to zero. The results of the study could provide a molecular explanation for the continued increased risk of lung cancer and other pulmonary ailments among former smokers
According to a report in online edition of Nature magazine,When smokers quit, their bodies gradually begin to undo the damage cigarettes have wrought. But contrary to popular belief, not all of the body's systems make a full recovery. The risk of getting heart disease, eventually returns to that of a non-smoker,but the risk of getting lung cancer remains elevated even if the patient has quit smoking for more than a decade.
