"...The study shows that quitting smoking could do much more than just stopping further damage to the lungs. Researchers believe it could also allow new, healthy cells to actively replenish the lining of our airways. This shift in proportion of healthy to damaged cells could help protect against cancer."

 

The research, published in Nature today(Wednesday 29th January), is part of the £20 million Mutographs of Cancer project, a Cancer Research UK Grand Challenge initiative. 

 

Link:

Never too late to quit

I heard this on the news and was most encouraged by it. 

 

 

 

How encouraging is that.  You go cells!!!!!!!

Well done for putting this article on.

"Your lungs have an almost "magical" ability to repair some of the damage caused by smoking - but only if you stop, say scientists.

The mutations that lead to lung cancer had been considered to be permanent, and to persist even after quitting.

But the surprise findings, published in Nature, show the few cells that escape damage can repair the lungs."