Quitting smoking dramatically lowers your risk of lung cancer and other serious diseases. Groundbreaking research confirms that lungs can heal and regenerate even after decades of smoking.
Cells damaged by tobacco smoke can repair and be replaced by healthy ones, according to a study published in the prestigious journal Nature. It addresses a common excuse from smokers: "It's too late for me anyway." This peer-reviewed research proves otherwise—quitting benefits everyone, at any age.
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Participants had smoked up to 15,000 packs of cigarettes before quitting. Years later, examinations revealed no lingering tobacco damage in their airway cells. The study analyzed lungs from 16 people, including never-smokers, current smokers, and former smokers.
Nine out of ten lung cells in current smokers showed cancer-causing mutations. Remarkably, ex-smokers' lungs displayed new, healthy replacement cells that had crowded out the damaged ones.
Ex-smokers' lung cells were four times healthier than those of active smokers. While the exact mechanism is still under investigation, the body appears to maintain a reserve of healthy stem cells ready to restore lung tissue.
Source: Linda.nl
