PARIS, France – A new study has found that quitting smoking may improve the immune response but does not fully recover for years. The study, published in the journal Nature, revealed the long-lasting impact of smoking on the body’s immune system, leaving individuals vulnerable to a higher risk of disease and infection even after they have stopped smoking. The findings shed light on the detrimental effects of smoking on long-term immunity, urging smokers to consider the significant benefits of quitting to protect their health.
Smoking rates have been on the decline since the 1960s, but it still remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, claiming over 480,000 lives each year. While health care providers have long warned about the serious health risks associated with smoking, the new study offers yet another compelling reason to kick the habit for good.
The research examined the immune response in a group of 1,000 healthy individuals aged 20 to 69, equally divided between men and women. The study aimed to understand how smoking, among other factors, affects the body’s ability to fight off infection and its impact on chronic diseases involving inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Study co-author Dr. Violaine Saint-André, a specialist in computational biology at Institut Pasteur in Paris, emphasized the significance of the findings, urging smokers to prioritize their long-term immunity by quitting as soon as possible. The study revealed that smoking, body mass index, and a latent infection caused by the herpes virus had the most impact on immune response, with smoking creating the most significant change, almost comparable to the impact of age or sex.
Dr. Darragh Duffy, who leads the Translational Immunology unit at the Institut Pasteur, highlighted that while the immune response improves to some extent after quitting smoking, it does not fully recover for years. The study also found that the more someone smoked, the greater the impact on their immune response, underscoring the importance of quitting or cutting down on smoking to minimize its detrimental effects.
The research also uncovered the long-term effects of smoking on the body’s two major forms of protection: the innate and adaptive immune response. The study suggested that smoking has short-term but also long-term effects on adaptive immunity associated with B cells and regulatory T cells, emphasizing the critical importance of quitting smoking to preserve overall immune health.
Dr. Yasmin Thanavala, a professor of oncology in the Department of Immunology at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, welcomed the study as a validation of her research, which involved exposing mice to smoke and observing its impact on their immune response. She emphasized the need for future research on a more diverse group of participants to understand the broader impact of smoking and other factors on immune response.
Dr. Albert Rizzo, chief medical officer of the American Medical Association, highlighted the study’s significance in explaining the long-observed link between smoking and inflammation in the lungs, shedding light on the underlying mechanisms that lead to conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in former smokers. He emphasized the importance of recognizing the damaging effects of smoking on the immune system and the significance of quitting to safeguard overall health.
The study’s findings underscore the critical importance of quitting smoking to protect long-term immunity and reduce the risk of disease and infection. As researchers continue to unravel the complex relationship between smoking and the immune system, the study serves as a compelling reminder of the profound impact of smoking on overall health and the significant benefits of quitting.