According to the Cancer Fighters Association, every 50 cigarettes smoked causes a DNA mutation linked to lung cancer. When smoking for many years and even a lifetime, mutations are increasing and cancer becomes an inevitable end. However, for some people this is not the case.
We must have heard of people who smoke in our daily lives and do not have critical health problems such as cancer. Scientists, just like us, wonder why this is. These people may have a “natural advantage” over other people with cancer, according to the results of a new study.
There is not always a direct correlation between the number of cigarettes smoked, the length of the smoking period and the risk of cancer:
None in the research non-smoker 14; Samples taken from the lung bronchi of 19 light, moderate and heavy smokers were used. Mutations in the genomes of lung cells in these samples were examined.
Pulmonary diseases and epidemiology specialist Simon Spivack from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, USA, who was part of the research team in question, said, “The lung cells we selected as an example can actually live for decades. Mutations can accumulate in these cells due to both age and smoking. “These are the lung cells that have the highest risk of developing into cancer.”
Indicating that these cells naturally mutate with aging, researchers emphasize that smoking increases these mutations significantly and the risk of cancer increases. However, according to the new results, this risk does not rise in the right proportion as it first comes to mind. “The most smokers do not have the highest mutations,” Spivack says. )
What is the main cause of lung cancer?
GIF: Breathing capacity of a healthy lung with a cancerous lung
According to studies on the subject, tobacco smoke causes cell mutation in the lung. But whether these mutations turn into tumors depends on how well that person’s body is able to repair DNA. If a heavy smoker does not get cancer, this shows that DNA mutations can be repaired without causing tumors.
On the other hand, it is possible for some people whose DNA mutations cannot be prevented, to get cancer easily despite consuming less cigarettes. In fact, when it comes to lung cancer, smoking alone is not necessary as a mutation trigger. Malnutrition, environmental conditions, and a life without sports also trigger these mutations.
Although some smokers get away with cancer due to their DNA repair abilities, this does not change the fact that smoking is a harmful habit. As a matter of fact, as a result of many symptoms associated with smoking, fatal diseases such as cardiovascular, respiratory, kidney, depression or type 2 diabetes can be experienced.
The reasons why some people who smoke a lot do not get cancer are listed as follows:
GIF: Cancer (green) affects a blood vessel taking over (Harvard University)
- Inheriting DNA repair genes against mutations
- Lowering the risk by dieting or getting rid of food-borne mutations with healthy foods
- Exercising Slowing down DNA mutations
However, why one person is better at DNA repair than others remains a mystery. “We are working to find a way to measure a person’s DNA repair capacity and in this way assess cancer risk,” says geneticist Jan Vig, who is part of the research team.
You can find the scientific publication of the research in question here
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