Posted on 06/02/2004 4:43:14 AM PDT by Colosis
LONDON (Reuters) - Smoking destroys protective molecules in saliva and transforms it into a dangerous cocktail of chemicals that increases the risk of mouth cancer, scientists say.
"Cigarette smoke is not only damaging on its own, it can turn the body against itself," said Dr Rafi Nagler, of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, Israel.
Saliva contains antioxidants, molecules that normally protect the body against cancer, but Nagler and his colleagues have discovered that cigarette smoke destroys the molecules and turns saliva into a dangerous compound.
"Our study shows that once exposed to cigarette smoke, our normally healthy saliva not only loses its beneficial qualities but it turns traitor and actually aids in destroying the cells of the mouth and oral cavity," he added.
In research reported in the British Journal of Cancer on Wednesday, Nagler and his team studied the impact of cigarette smoke on cancerous cells in the laboratory.
Half of the cells were exposed to saliva exposed to cigarette smoke and the other half just to the smoke. Cells exposed to the saliva mixture had more damage and it increased along with the time of exposure.
"Most people will find it very shocking that the mixture of saliva and smoke is actually more lethal to cells in the mouth than cigarette smoke alone," Nagler added in a statement.
Smoking and drinking are the leading causes of head and neck or oral cancers, which includes cancer of the lip, mouth, tongue, gums, larynx and pharynx. Nearly 400,000 new cases of the illness are diagnosed worldwide each year with the majority in developing countries. The five-year survival rates are less than 50 percent.
Nagler and his colleagues believe the research could open up new avenues to develop better treatments to prevent oral cancer.
"This insight into how mouth cancer can develop offers more reasons for smokers to try and quit," said Jean King, of Cancer Research UK, which publishes the journal. "People know the link with lung cancer and this research adds compelling evidence about the damage smoking can do to the mouth."
Most: 1. In the greatest instance ... 2. In the majority of instances.
So! You ARE deliberately dense! Just as I suspected.
By the way, what benefits can I expect to derive from quitting smoking 5 cigarettes a day? Got any statistics on that?
Judith Anne---trying to have an intelligent dialogue with cinFLa is the same as beating your head against a brick wall.
Let's face it,we smokers are all littering slobs,our smoke has cost the lives of millions of innocent people,we are all going to die before our time,we are fat,we are poor,we are uneducated,we are trailer trash, women smokers have smaller babies,and my all time favorite,our kids are more likely to be delinquents than the children of the smoke-free crowd.
Oh yes,we have put our cigarettes ahead of God(that was a new one,for me at least).
The above facts are opinions of various antismokers,They never cease to amaze me.
So the majority litter and that makes you mad?
What do you propose we do about that?
So you have no numbers, just a guess eh?
You know, Mears, people tend to project onto a despised group the very traits they themselves possess in great abundance. And they tend to get very bossy about those folks in that group. And to feel very superior.
When you tell them about that, or point out their hypocrisy, then they go limp and aren't able to effectively mount an argument.
It was amusing for a day. Someday, some rational person is going to shove them and their opinions back onto the lunatic fringe where they belong...and the country will regain its sanity.
$3.50 / 4 * 365 * 60 = $19,162.50. With interest, enough to buy that new car!
You may find this hard to believe,cinFLA,but all of the smokers I know are doing very well financially.
We choose to spend our discretionary income on cigarettes,others choose to spend it on overpriced coffee,fine wines, and "designer" water.
Different strokes!!!!!
I don't pay anywhere NEAR that much. So, it would be:
45 cents times 365 = $164.25 per year. Not bad for a pleasant habit, but I normally pay orders of magnitude more than that for a car, though you might consider it a reasonable price.
5 packs a week at 4 bucks a pack is a little over a grand a year. I know plenty of fatties who spend more than that on junk food.
I agree, but on that list, smoking is the worst. Do you agree?
God wants us 24/7, not just in Church. When our hearts and minds can only think about the next cigarette, we are not open to God's will for us.
You didn't do it yet???!!!!
I do not care that they passed the law, I will do what I want on my private property and the state can go to hell!
The beach!?!? When I grew up, smoking generally did not bother folks so much. If they did not like the offensive odor, they moved or the offending party would politely solve their problem,
Now, are people so stupid, selfish, and lazy as to NEED this legislation? I will smoke at the beach in Rockport. I wont blow it in your face, you wont even smell it. I am NOT putting it out, just because you don't like my "look" from 50 feet away.
Arioch7 out.
I mean, with all these day to day calls to God regarding smokers' being damned to hell and all, egad.
Do you get extra miles or whatever from AT&T?
Someone needs to check HIS meds TOO! ugh!!!!!!!!
Obviously you didn't bother to read my profile.
Mike W USAF
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