Researchers have known for some time now that Parkinson’s disease is a lot less common in smokers. Dentists have just never figured out why. New research published in JAMA Neurology suggests they might finally be one step closer to solving the mystery.
As reported by IFLScience, researchers at the University of Oxford studied more than 500,000 adults in China and found that carbon monoxide may provide some kind of protective barrier against Parkinson’s. Researchers found that while smoking was associated with a lower risk of Parkinson’s, people who never smoked and had higher levels of carbon monoxide in their breath also seemed less likely to develop the disease.
Researchers Found a Surprising Clue to Why Smokers Develop Parkinson’s Less Often
This means smoking itself isn’t providing the benefit. It’s just a vehicle for depositing carbon monoxide into your system. It’s normally a toxic gas that can be fatal to breathe. People buy carbon monoxide detectors for their homes so they don’t die in their sleep. Yet, in this one extremely specific case, it seems to provide a benefit.
It sounds absurd, but there’s logic to it. Our bodies naturally produce a little bit of carbon monoxide, and researchers think it can have anti-inflammatory and cell-protective effects. Parkinson’s destroys dopamine-producing neurons, and some of the biggest contributors to that destruction could be inflammation and cellular damage.
The study was observational, meaning it didn’t prove that carbon monoxide causes the reduced Parkinson’s risk. And there could be plenty of other factors involved, of course. And they definitely aren’t suggesting that anyone worried about Parkinson’s should pick up a pack-a-day habit. The risks of smoking are still just as dire as you’ve been hearing about for years. This study doesn’t change any of that.
But it does help us single out carbon monoxide so research teams far and wide can get us a little closer to figuring out how to harness its protective powers against the disease.
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