An association between smoking and loss of the Y chromosome in blood cells that increases the risk of developing cancer in males, reveals a new study.

The association between smoking and loss of the Y chromosome was dose dependent, i.e. loss of the Y chromosome was more common in heavy smokers compared to moderate smokers. In addition, the association was only valid for men who were current smokers. Men who had been smoking previously, but quit, showed the same frequency of cells with loss of the Y chromosome, as men who had never smoked.
The researchers said that these results indicate that smoking can cause loss of the Y chromosome and that this process might be reversible and they found that the frequency of cells with loss of the Y chromosome was not different among ex-smokers compared to men who had never smoked. This discovery could be very persuasive for motivating smokers to quit.
The study was published in Science.
Source-ANI