Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 3:41 am Post subject: Medical, Parkinsons, Smoking
Medical, Parkinsons, Smoking I stumbled upon this article from Xinhua stating that smokers and coffee drinkers are less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease. Quoting the article: Smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee may protect people from Parkinson’s disease, according to a new study in the April issue of Archives of Neurology out Tuesday. “What this study tells us is there is something about cigarette smoking and consuming caffeine that alters the biology underpinning of Parkinson’s disease,” said Professor William Scott,a leading researcher at the Institute of Human Genomics at the University of Miami
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Dr. FernandezJoined: 20 Jan 2007Posts: 90
Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:12 am Post subject:
Yes, it is true that there have been several epidemiological studies that showed lesser occurence of PD among patients who routinely consume caffeine and those who smoke. However, these are epidemiological studies that are subject to a lot of biases and not a direct causal relationship. Moreover, we have no reason to think that smoking and caffeine can improve the symptoms of those who already have PD. Supposedly, the mechanism of caffeine's protection in developing PD is its role in the adenosine 2A receptors. I'm not sure baout smoking...but I am so biased towards the evils of smoking (the its clear risk factor for stroke, heart attacks and cancers) that I would avoid it at all cost, regardless of what epidemiological studies show regarding its relationship to PD. Yours_________________Hubert H. Fernandez
Murray Janet said...
Heart attacks are less likely for non-smokers as compared to the smokers. According to WHO, individuals who quit smoking decrease their risk of CAD one year later by 50 %. If you have quit smoking, for 15 years, your risk of dying from CAD is almost as low as a life time non-smoker. http://www.chantixhome.com/
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