50 Cigarettes Cause One Mutation In Lung Cells

The authors identified mutations associated with smoking.

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Everyone knows that smoking is harmful to health. Under the influence of carcinogens contained in tobacco smoke, mutations arise in DNA, which accumulate and provoke the development of cancer. Researchers from the Los Alamos National Laboratory, led by Ludmil Alexandrov, have calculated how many mutations occur daily in the DNA of smokers. Smoking has previously been shown to increase the likelihood of developing 17 different forms of cancer.

Scientists compared DNA from tumors of smokers (2500 people) and those who did not smoke (1000 people). They were able to identify exactly those mutations that were associated with smoking.

They calculated that smoking 50 cigarettes causes one mutation in the lung cells. A person who smokes a pack of cigarettes daily has 150 mutations in lung cells, 97 in laryngeal cells, 39 in pharyngeal cells, 18 mutations in bladder cells and 6 mutations in liver cells per year. The authors note that smoking only increases the risk of developing cancer and so far they have not been able to figure out which type of mutations are more dangerous.

Scientists warn that every cigarette you smoke is a health hazard. Quitting smoking significantly reduces the risk of premature death - this was shown in a study in which 35 thousand men took part. They were monitored for 50 years: researchers have shown that smokers, on average, lived 10 years less than their peers.

Many smokers are sure that it is not worth giving up a bad habit, as the disorders caused by smoking are irreversible. Data from a number of experiments indicate that quitting smoking (especially in middle age) significantly reduces the risk of premature death.

Read more: Every 50 cigarettes smoked cause one DNA mutation per lung cell

On average, there is one DNA mutation per lung cell for every 50 cigarettes smoked, according to a new analysis.