Smoking can prevent allergies!

Smoking can cause lung cancer, pulmonary disease, and can even affect how the body fights infections. But, while it is killing you – it may also prevent you suffering from allergies! Researchers at Utrecht University in the Netherlands found that treatment of mast cells (the major players in the immune system's response to allergens) with a cigarette smoke-infused solution prevented the release of inflammation-inducing proteins in response to allergens (ie the allergens failing to provoke a reaction), without affecting other mast cell immune functions. The mast cells used in the study were derived from mice, but it is likely that the same anti-allergy effect will hold true in humans.

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First published in September 2009

 

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