Lord Herbert wrote on Jun 30^th, 2017 at 9:55am:


Once more, for the slow learners at the back of the class:

Smoking serves no other purpose other than deteriorating one's health.

Lord Herbert wrote on Jun 30^th, 2017 at 9:55am:


And you make that claim in an argument out of ignorance to support your narrative.

While the statistic might be true (I've not fact checked it), it doesn't mean "therefore smoking is safe".

You can't cast doubt on accepted scientific understanding all you like, but unless you bring any real evidence to the table, which you clearly have not, you can't go making any claims what so ever, at least none that can hold more than an anecdotal story of someone with a clear agenda to push.

A quick fact check shows that men who smoke in the US are on average ~40 times more likely to get lung cancer than those who don't but in Japan, men who smoke are only on average ~6 times more likely to get lung cancer.

There are however many reasons for this that would be off topic in this thread as it's not about smoking per se but the coward punch attack by a dickhead smoking in a clearly nonsmoking area of a hospital being told not by an attending surgeon at the hospital.

Lord Herbert wrote on Jun 30^th, 2017 at 10:14am:


Well, if you insist on pushing this line, there current understanding of the paradox has a dietary component, but not one as specific as you claim.

• Lower levels of cancer-causing ingredients in Japanese cigarettes.  In the United States, roughly 70 of the chemicals found in cigarettes are thought to cause cancer. While tobacco is present in most cigarettes, the type and proportion of these other chemicals can vary widely.

• Genetic factors that result in Japanese men being more resistant to the smoking-related development of lung cancer. Though you may think of lung cancer as being a smoking-related disease, there are many causes, and some people carry a predisposition to the disease. In fact, one of these "breast cancer genes" known as BRCA2 is linked with a 2 fold risk of developing lung cancer in women who smoke.

• Lower alcohol consumption by Japanese males.  High alcohol consumption is linked with a higher risk of lung cancer, though some types of alcoholic beverages may result in more risk than others. Genetic factors may also play a role in this factor, as one study found no link between alcohol and lung cancer in Chinese men.

• Lower fat intake by Japanese males. A lower fat intake in the diet is associated with a lower risk of developing lung cancer.

• The higher efficiency of filters in Japanese cigarettes. There is more use of activated charcoal in the filters of Japanese cigarettes than cigarettes available in the United States. You may be familiar with activated charcoal as it is used in emergency rooms to treat some poisonings and overdoses. Activated charcoal binds some chemicals, but certainly not all. 

• Earlier age of smoking onset in American men.  American men begin smoking, on average, at least 2.5 years earlier than Japanese men.

• Lifestyle factors other than smoking.  Certain dietary factors are associated with a lower risk of lung cancer. In addition, exercise - even small amounts - appears to reduce the risk of lung cancer.

The debate is not about smoking since we know that smoking causes lung cancer.

The debate is about why Japanese smokers have a lower incidence of lung cancer, even though they smoke more. The answer is most likely a combination of these reasons.

Excellent research, Sad.

Thank you for graphically confirming most of what I have been saying ... ie. that although there are many different factors that can cause a person to present with cancer, the medical profession invariably parrots the catch-all mantra that it was smoking that caused your cancer.

That sort of lazy complacency annoys me.

Lord Herbert wrote on Jun 30^th, 2017 at 10:39am:


The fact you think you know better than the medical professionals who have published peer reviewed research annoys me.

inhibits the onset of Alzheimer's


Yes, death by cancer at 50 will generally stop you getting Alzheimer's

miketrees wrote on Jun 30^th, 2017 at 4:38pm:


Hysterical.

But yes, it inhibits the onset of Alzheimer's.