It’s no secret that smoking is not good for you. Recent research from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences published their findings found one more reason not to smoke, the epigenetic impact. Smoking can methylate your DNA which can change how your genes are expressed. This gene changing process doesn’t just go away and can be found in your body for more than 30 years (Roby Joehanes, Ph.D) after you cease smoking.
Here are some of the major findings summarized by FierceBiotech:
- 7,000 genes were found to have smoking-associated DNA methylation marks
- The majority of these marks were reversed to normal after 5 years of quitting smoking
- Some of these marks persisted even 30 years after quitting smoking
- Statistically significant marks were associated with cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers.
More information on this topic can be found at Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News or Fierce Biotech.
http://www.genengnews.com/public/genhighlight/item.aspx?id=81253230
