What kind of advice would you get from a cigarette- smoking mouse?

The things we do to mice!

In a recent study, researchers gave mice lung cancer. When the cancer lesions were in an early stage, some of the mice were repeatedly exposed to tobacco smoke.

You will probably be not at all surprised to find that tumors in the smoking group developed faster and were larger than tumors in the non-smoking group.

So what’s the takeaway message here? Maybe: Stop smoking if you’re diagnosed with lung cancer.

That would be a good move!

The University of California research team notes that inflammation prompted by smoke exposure caused the tumors to grow larger and faster. Their suggestion: Perhaps anti- inflammatory drugs might slow or even prevent lung cancer progression.

Ah yes–you can see it coming a mile away. Soon we’ll hear recommendations for cigarette smokers to start taking a daily non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to help prevent lung cancer.

Or how about this instead: Stop smoking (immediately!) and start taking a healthy anti-inflammatory, such as fish oil.

Even a mouse could tell you that’s a good idea.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Source:
“Current Smoking Can Worsen Lung Cancer” HealthDay News, 1/19/10, healthscout.com