From: Robert J. Bradbury (bradbury@aeiveos.com)
Date: Mon Sep 08 2003 - 17:53:55 MDT
On Mon, 8 Sep 2003, Kevin Freels wrote:
> I am right at my "ideal" body weight, but I expect to put on a few pounds
> while I adjust to being a non-smoker.
Ok, that is good -- but don't go for self-fullfilling perspectives.
> I'm also only 5'3" so I am a good candidate for a Mars mission :-)
There you go spike -- a volunteer from the audience!
> Until recently I had been of the opinion that cancer cause smoking, not the
> other way around.
No -- it is very clear and well documented -- certain enzymes, primarily
found in the liver transform molecules found in smoke into cancer causing
(carcinogenic) molecules -- but whether one has those genetic (enzyme)
variants cannot be determined (easily) currently. This explains why some
people smoke and get cancer and other people smoke and don't get cancer.
This is clear: Some people are susceptable to addiction (largely genetics).
Some of those people smoke. A subset of those people get cancer and
have a diminished lifespan.
> (Have you ever met an alcoholic non-smoker?)
I know of individuals, who once did smoke, who would probably fall into
this category -- i.e. they don't smoke but can be considered alcoholics.
> Now I know it was the nicotine talking.
And as I pointed out -- I don't think it is the nicotine that is particularly
bad -- it is all the other stuff that is in the smoke.
> I used to eat 3 peanut butter sandwiches per day. Yet my
> body weight has never been below or above average.
Peanut butter sandwiches are probably not particularly bad. You probably
have a fast metabolism that explains being able to maintain the weight level.
> My great-grandmother died at 96 a few years ago.
Suggests that (at least from one source) that one may not have the genes
that lead one from smoking to cancer -- but that probably only involves
about 12% of your risk factors (one has to take all of the other relatives
into account).
Robert
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