Smoking Erases Y Chromosome in Men - Shorter Life Span and Increased Cancer Risk

quote:

---

A new study has found a link between smoking in men and Y chromosome loss - a mutation that has been shown previously to cause cancer. Because men are the only ones with a Y chromosome, the research could also help us to understand why aging men - smokers or not - are affected by and die from most known types of cancer at a much higher rate than women.

---

quote:

---

When you smoke, you’re not just putting yourself at risk of developing lung cancer, especially if you're a male. Statistics have shown that male smokers are more likely to develop other forms of cancer elsewhere in the body than female smokers, and a new study has suggested that this has to do with the way smoking affects the Y chromosome - a complex of DNA and tiny molecules that influence sex determination and sperm production in men.

---