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Probably not much worse than Monica Lewinsky's saliva. |
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."
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Probably not much worse than Monica Lewinsky's saliva. |
Ping
Maybe they should ban science, because it makes smokers feel bad about themselves emotionally. After all, that's what's important, right?
More scientific smoke bellowing from the scientific anus.
geez! it's a wonder smokers don't glow in the dark with all these contanimants they cause! Now they have "love canal" mouth!
what next? toxic seminal fluid?
Uh, hello you brainiac 'scientists'. I think you're overlooking the obvious here.
(what else is new, sheesh)
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.
"Maybe they should ban science, because it makes smokers feel bad about themselves emotionally."
No matter how much junk science they use to try to accomplish this, they have failed and will continue to fail. Smokers aren't as wimpy as the anti-smoking nanny staters with oversensitive noses!
I read that article and had to go out and smoke and Benson & Hedges Light.
True. Smokers are the addicts destroying themselves, but it's their right to slowly kill themselves if they so choose.
Eaters are killing themselves, but it's their right to slowly kill themselves!
I think even smokers will admit that smoking is a rather idiotic habit to enjoy*, but so is a million other things that humans do - we shouldn't lose the right to be dumb@sses.
*I don't think it's as much about "enjoyment" as relief from withdrawels.
Your attempts to use logic with them won't work.
Any attempt to prove to them that smoking is unhealthy to them and to others is disregarded as junk science and you will be berated as an anti-smoking gnatzi in the process.
Only the reality of cancer will wake them up.
True, but eaters are also staying alive by eating even if what they eat may not always be healthy. We all gotta eat to survive.
Smokers are merely ingesting chemicals that shorten their lifespan and hurt their quality of life. I'm not saying they shouldn't have the right to do so.
Or emphysema, or a stroke, or a heart attack, et al...
You did not! Oh, man, now you're doomed . . . DOOMED!
They can't help it. They're junkies. Junkies don't think straight.
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