Study Reveals Long-Term Immune System Damage from Smoking
February 14, 2024
Recent research published in Nature has shed new light on the long-lasting adverse effects of smoking on the immune system, emphasizing the importance of never starting the habit. The study, part of France’s Milieu Intérieur project, involved 1,000 participants who provided data on lifestyle factors and blood samples for immune response analysis. While quitting smoking was found to restore the immune system’s innate response quickly, the study discovered that the adaptive T cell response, which develops memory against past pathogens, remained compromised for years after cessation.
The study identified smoking as a factor that causes prolonged inflammatory responses and persistent changes in cytokine levels, even after quitting. This finding was described as “revelatory” by experts, as it points to an additional reason for the increased infection risk in smokers beyond the known structural damage to the lungs.
Researchers linked these long-term effects to epigenetic changes caused by smoking, which affects DNA methylation and gene expression related to immune response. The study’s implications are significant, equating the impact of smoking on immune function to factors like age, sex, or genetics.
The research team plans to continue monitoring the cohort to assess the long-term health outcomes, particularly in light of the Covid-19 pandemic. The study reinforces public health messages against smoking and underscores the urgency for smokers to quit for their immune health.
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[Source: STAT, February 14th, 2024]
