Smoking accelerates cellular aging

Telomeres are the extremes of chromosomes, and they are what indicate cell aging, or what is the same, the biological age of people. The shortening of its length indicates aging, and depends on exposure to external oxidizing agents and the functioning of DNA repair mechanisms at the cellular level. Smoking tobacco accelerates cellular aging.

Cellular aging at the expense of tobacco sedemuestra scientifically

A study developed by the Biomedicine Laboratory of the European University together with pneumologists from the Gregorio Marañón and Carlos III hospitals in Madrid, and the General University Hospital of Guadalajara -published in May in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Researc- indicates that the tobacco, which contains a large amount of chemical compounds capable of increasing oxidative stress, potentiates the premature shortening of telomere length. In addition, this reduction in length is conditioned both by the time the person has been smoking and by DNA repair mechanisms.


The actual level of exposure of smokers to these compounds varies according to the consumption of tobacco, the way in which the individual smokes (the number and type of puffs) and the nicotinic metabolism. Therefore, for the realization of this work have analyzed different variables that affect the habit of smoking and smokers:

1. Daily tobacco consumption.

2. Number of years that you have smoked.

3.Nicotine levels and metabolites in urine.

4. Carbon monoxide (CO) levels expired.

Dr. Felix Gomez, a professor at the European University, clarifies that "smoking a lot does not have to correspond to a proportional increase in the levels of toxic agents, but there are multiple variables that condition this fact".


Additionally, molecular markers such as relative telomere length in peripheral blood leukocytes as well as six polymorphisms in DNA repair genes (XRCC1, APEX1, XRCC3 and XPD) have been measured.

What the study reveals about tobacco and aging

1. Tobacco enhances the premature shortening of telomere length.

2. Telomeric shortening depends on the smoker's degree of smoking.

3. There is a relationship between mutations in DNA repair genes and a shorter telomeric length.

According to the results obtained, Dr. Catalina Santiago, professor at the European University argues: "telomere reduction is more conditioned by the time spent smoking than by the dose consumed."

Video: 15 Ways Smoking Ruins Your Looks


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