Smoke Screen…
April 19th, 2012 3:01 pm ET - Scott Bowen, Office of Public Health Genomics, Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
Never Let Genetics Blind You to the Harsh Reality of Cigarettes
The emerging field of genomics might one day provide some tools
On March 15, 2012, CDC announced a national media campaign to encourage smokers to quit and prevent others, especially young people, from starting. The new communications initiative is different from past efforts because it includes graphic depictions of the real life damage that smoking does. “Although they may be tough to watch, the ads show real people living with real, painful consequences from smoking,” said CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden. ” There is sound evidence that supports the use of these types of hard-hitting images and messages to encourage smokers to quit, to keep children from ever beginning to smoke, and to drastically reduce the harm caused by tobacco.”
Where There is Smoke There is Fire… Addiction, and Yet Desire To Quit
In recent years, more attention has been paid to the potential contribution of one’s genes to the risks of smoking
Where There is Smoke There is High Risk
“But my great aunt smoked every day and lived to be 100!”
The existence of centenarian smokers simply reflects the fact that, among a population of millions, even the longest odds can permit the survival of a few. There are also unwise, unbelted, but fortunate car passengers who somehow live through horrific accidents despite having greatly reduced their chances {always buckle up!}. There are even documented cases of people who have fallen from skyscrapers and even high altitude aircraft and survived
Regardless of age, however, smoking takes a toll on quality of health and harms virtually every organ in the body, not to mention the effects on family members and others of secondhand smoke. For children aged 18 months or younger, secondhand smoke exposure is responsible for an estimated 150,000–300,000 new cases of bronchitis and pneumonia and approximately 7,500–15,000 hospitalizations, annually in the United States alone.
No Easy Answers Through Genetics
There are NO validated genetic tests that can tell someone that they have a lower risk of health effects from smoking. Smoking is fundamentally harmful to health regardless of genetic makeup or family history. No amount of exposure to tobacco smoke is without risk, and no genetic test provides an excuse to smoke.
Research investigating the contribution of genetics to smoking addiction and harms continues to progress, but there are no known genes which make smoking less harmful or easier to quit. Smokers who believe that their genes can protect them are gambling with their lives against tremendous odds.
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