Scientists reveal shocking changes smoking does to your body after studying remains of 800-year-old bones
Joe Yates
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
We're all aware of the dangers of smoking and the affects it can have on your body, but those affects may be more drastic than first thought.
Smoking tobacco greatly increases your chances of developing lung cancer, suffering a stroke, having a heart attack, lung disease and more, according to the American Lung Association.
And even if you switch from cigarettes to vapes, that can still have a big effect on your body as this video shows.
We know all this, but what English scientists have only just discovered will give you the chills - if you've picked up a cigarette before and even kicked the habit years ago.
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A study from the University of Leicester discovered through archeological research on human remains buried in the country between the 12th century and the 19th century that the effects tobacco has on the body can be visible - even long after death.
While it is not known for sure when exactly tobacco was introduced to Western Europe, it is understood it arrived in Britain, thanks to explorer Sir Walter Raleigh who brought it home from Virginia, US in 1586 - 190 years before what we now know as the US was founded.
The team of scientists examined 323 cortical bones, which is the dense tissue on the outer layer of bones, and looked for molecular traces of tobacco smoke in them.
Out of all those remains, they were able to identify 45 people who used to smoke.
Each smoker had distinct molecular features that showed centuries later that non-smokers didn't have.
The study, which was published in Science Advances earlier this month, read: “Tobacco consumption leaves a metabolic record in human bone distinctive enough to identify its use in individuals of unknown tobacco consumption.
“Archaeological human skeletal remains have the potential to provide direct evidence that can be used to study past pathological and health conditions, including diseases associated with tobacco use.”
While Dr Sarah Inskip, a co-author of the study, added: “Our research shows significant differences in the molecular features of bones from past tobacco users and non-users. This finding indicates that tobacco use impacts the structure of our skeletons.
“Our ongoing research aims to understand how these differences emerge, which may have implications for understanding why tobacco use is a risk factor for certain musculoskeletal and dental disorders.”
It is scary to think of the lasting affects smoking has on your body, and for me personally, I stopped smoking six years ago but to think it's seeped into my bones is pretty unnerving.