Smoking’s effects on immune system can last years: study [Video]

Smoking tobacco is so harmful to the body that it changes a person’s immune system, leaving them vulnerable to more disease and infection even years after they’ve quit, a new study found.Video above: Stop smoking by 50 to reduce lung cancer risk by 57%Although smoking rates have been declining since the 1960s, it’s still the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, causing more than 480,000 deaths each year.For decades, health care providers have told smokers that the habit can lead to serious problems like lung cancer, heart attack or stroke, but a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature offers another reason to quit.The research shows how smoking decreases the body’s ability to fight off infection immediately and over time, and may also put someone at risk of chronic diseases involving inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.”Stop smoking as soon as possible,” warned study co-author Dr. …