British scientists have discovered why some lifelong smokers have few or no severe lung conditions or diseases, and even have the same lifespan as non-smokers despite cigarette tobacco's powerful chemicals such as nicotine. It revealed that some smokers' genetic makeup reduces their risk of acquiring smoking-related diseases including bronchitis and emphysema.
The study's results were presented at the yearly European Respiratory Society (ERS) meeting in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Researchers studied 50,000 people between the ages of 40 and 69. They examined smokers and non-smokers, and people with and without Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), according to Daily Caller.
The study included an astronomical 28 million gene variants in each of the subjects. Researchers learned that some smokers' genetic code made them less likely to acquire COPD.
Professor Martin Tobin is a University of Leicester professor. He explained that no "magic bullet" could protect people from tobacco smoke, and they would still have unhealthier lungs than non-smokers.
The study's findings discovered that people's genes could also affect their likelihood of being addicted to cigarettes. Nicotine addiction's risk would be higher or lower.
Researchers uncovered five DNA code sections that could affect whether or not a person was a chain smoker. Those regions impacted the brain's response to nicotine.
They explained that their study's findings could be used for future studies. Such research could find more complicated and effective methods to help people kick their smoking habit.
In another recent smoking study researchers discovered major differences between smoking and non-smoking lung cancer patients. They learned that rates of non-small cell lung cancer are increasing among non-smokers in several countries, according to Philly.
This video explains some health effects of smoking: