/Health news/Smoking damages chromosomes and causes premature aging

Smoking damages chromosomes and causes premature aging

In a study presented at the International Congress of the European Respiratory Society in Milan (Italy), it was revealed that smoking causes chromosomal damage in white blood cells, which can accelerate the aging process.

Key points of this study:

  • Smoking causes chromosomal damage in blood cells, leading to premature aging.
  • Premature aging can reduce both lifespan and quality of life.
  • Quitting smoking can reduce the risk of chromosomal damage.

When analyzing a study involving nearly half a million participants, researchers reported that smokers were more likely to have shorter chromosome ends, known as telomeres. These are key indicators of aging and the cells’ ability to repair and regenerate.

Shorter telomeres were linked to both smoking status and the number of cigarettes smoked, according to Dr. Siyu Dai, co-author of the study and assistant professor at the School of Clinical Medicine at Hangzhou Normal University, China.

“In other words, smoking can accelerate the aging process, while quitting may significantly reduce the related risk,” said Dr. Dai.

How does smoking speed up the aging process?

Previous studies have linked telomere length in white blood cells to smoking, but experts note that this new study establishes a causal relationship.

“This study addresses the question of whether smoking affects telomere lengths,” said Dr. Jonathan Grigg, chair of the European Respiratory Society Tobacco Control Committee, in a press statement.

“Telomeres protect the ends of chromosomes. If telomeres become short, cells can no longer divide successfully, and they die.”

“This study adds to the growing body of evidence that smoking accelerates biological aging,” said Dr. Danny Nguyen, a medical oncologist and hematologist at City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center in California (he was not involved in the study).

“Tobacco smoke is toxic, and the cell damage it causes isn’t limited to visible symptoms like aging skin,” he explained. Individuals with either very short or very long telomeres are at higher risk of cancer.

How does smoking affect chromosomes?

Dr. Dai and Feng Chen, a researcher at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, based their findings on an analysis of genetic and health data from the UK Biobank.

Information on leukocyte telomere length, gathered from patient blood tests, was correlated with current, former, and non-smoking status, as well as the level of addiction and number of cigarettes smoked.

“This study applied Mendelian randomization, a well-known method for providing strong evidence and establishing causal relationships, to support previous observational studies suggesting that smoking causes aging, while quitting may reverse this effect,” Dr. Grigg noted.

What are the health effects of smoking?

“We found that current smoking status was significantly associated with shorter leukocyte telomere length, while former smokers and never-smokers did not show significantly shorter telomere lengths,” said Dr. Dai.

For those who used to smoke, there was a trend toward shorter telomere length, but it wasn’t statistically significant. However, those who smoked more cigarettes had significantly shorter leukocyte telomere lengths.

“In recent years, observational studies have linked shortened leukocyte telomere length to many diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and muscle loss. This suggests that smoking’s effect on telomere length may play a critical role in these diseases, though more research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms,” said Dr. Siyu Dai, the study author.

Dr. William Dale, director of the Center for Cancer and Aging at City of Hope, who was not involved in the study, told Medical News Today that smoking is known to shorten lifespan by an average of about 10 years. He also added that aging is an independent risk factor for cancer.

Researchers have not yet been able to “connect the dots” between smoking, cancer, and aging, Dr. Dale said, but the new research suggests telomere damage “might be one piece of the puzzle.”

Dr. Dale also noted that premature aging due to chromosomal damage means “you’re still going to shorten your life even if you don’t get cancer.”

Moreover, premature aging can also affect the quality of life, including cognitive function, mobility, and even nutrition and social connectivity.

According to Dr. Dai and Dr. Chen, future research may include studying the effects of secondhand smoke on tissue self-repair, regeneration, and aging.

“The more we understand the genomics of cancer, the closer we are to bringing the best treatment or prevention plan to each individual,” said Dr. Nguyen.

Source: MedicalNewsToday

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