It was already clear to us that smoking is very unhealthy. We hear and read every day about the negative impact of smoking on our lungs, for example. We also all know that smoking reduces the number of years of life. We often see all these messages passing by and are reinforced by sinister pictures on the cigarette packs. But what does smoking actually do to our DNA?
DNA can be damaged in several ways. There are several mutagenic substances that can disrupt the DNA, causing damage. Something is called mutagenic if it causes mutations. A mutation is a change in the nucleotide sequence of an organism’s DNA. Nucleotides are the building blocks of DNA. Smoking is carcinogenic and the substances in the cigarette/smoke are mutagenic. Smoking can cause serious damage to DNA. Sometimes it takes years for this damage to be repaired and sometimes the damage is never fixed permanently.
Research by the ‘Welcome Trust Sanger Institute’ has shown that an average of one DNA mutation occurs when smoking fifteen cigarettes. The mutation causes an error in the genetic code and errors in the genetic code can cause a form of cancer to develop. The research shows that the mutations caused by cigarettes do not directly lead to cancer in any person. According to the scientists, cancer is formed by combinations of multiple mutations.
Smoking therefore causes permanent damage to DNA. This damage is still very visible even in people who have stopped. Sometimes the damage to the DNA is repaired, but in many cases the damage from smoking is permanent. Smoking during pregnancy can also seriously damage a baby’s DNA and pregnant women who smoke certainly endanger the health of their baby.
Smoking or quitting? We reaffirm that smoking is bad. The substances released during smoking can therefore cause permanent mutations in the DNA!
