While tobacco smoking is associated with numerous health concerns, it can be beneficial, according to a story by Jackie Salo in the New York Post.
Researchers at Rice University, Houston, Texas, found that smoking was the difference between a woman who suffered from anemia and her father who did not.
Both the man and his daughter share a gene mutation that encodes hemoglobin, which is responsible for delivering oxygen around the body, according to the study.
‘Researchers found the mutation did not impact the iron content in the father’s blood, but was responsible for the woman’s anemia,’ Salo wrote.
‘More research determined that absorbing carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke can be therapeutic for those who suffer from the disorder.’
“He may never be an athlete because his blood can’t carry as much oxygen, but smoking has prevented him from being anemic,” researcher John Olson was quoted as saying. “And there’s a side benefit. People with this trait are more resistant to carbon monoxide poisoning.”
Olson didn’t recommend that the woman take up smoking, though he said that she shouldn’t worry too much about second-hand smoke.
Instead he suggested alternative treatments.