Jabberwocky
Frumious Bandersnatch
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SMOKING comes along with numerous health concerns that are incentives to quit, but one case proved cigarettes can be beneficial, reports the New York Post.
Rice University researchers found that smoking was the reason why a 20-something woman had anaemia, but her father, who is a smoker, did not.
Both the man and his daughter share a gene mutation that encodes haemoglobin, which is responsible for delivering oxygen around the body, according to the study.
Researchers found the mutation did not impact the iron content in the dad’s blood, but was responsible for the woman’s anaemia.
More research determined that absorbing carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke can be therapeutic for those who suffer from the disorder.
“He may never be an athlete because his blood can’t carry as much oxygen, but smoking has prevented him from being anaemic,” researcher John Olson said.
“And there’s a side benefit. People with this trait are more resistant to carbon monoxide poisoning.”
However, Olson did not recommend that the daughter take up smoking, instead suggesting alternative treatments.
“She shouldn’t smoke,” he said.
“But she could take antioxidants, such as a lot of vitamin C, which would help prevent oxidation of her mutant haemoglobin. Her anaemia is not that severe. At the same time, she shouldn’t worry too much about second-hand smoke, which might have a positive effect.”
The discovery will be published this month in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...s/news-story/82cbcd94f59689f354434210df1cc75b
Rice University researchers found that smoking was the reason why a 20-something woman had anaemia, but her father, who is a smoker, did not.
Both the man and his daughter share a gene mutation that encodes haemoglobin, which is responsible for delivering oxygen around the body, according to the study.
Researchers found the mutation did not impact the iron content in the dad’s blood, but was responsible for the woman’s anaemia.
More research determined that absorbing carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke can be therapeutic for those who suffer from the disorder.
“He may never be an athlete because his blood can’t carry as much oxygen, but smoking has prevented him from being anaemic,” researcher John Olson said.
“And there’s a side benefit. People with this trait are more resistant to carbon monoxide poisoning.”
However, Olson did not recommend that the daughter take up smoking, instead suggesting alternative treatments.
“She shouldn’t smoke,” he said.
“But she could take antioxidants, such as a lot of vitamin C, which would help prevent oxidation of her mutant haemoglobin. Her anaemia is not that severe. At the same time, she shouldn’t worry too much about second-hand smoke, which might have a positive effect.”
The discovery will be published this month in the Journal of Biological Chemistry.
Source: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/he...s/news-story/82cbcd94f59689f354434210df1cc75b
