Researchers found a possible link between parental smoking and an increased risk of a common type of childhood cancer. (iStock)
Smoking comes along with numerous health concerns that are incentives to quit, but one case proved cigarettes can be beneficial.
Rice University researchers found that smoking was the reason why a 20-something woman had anemia, but her father, who is a smoker, did not.
Both the man and his daughter share a gene mutation that encodes hemoglobin, which is responsible for delivering oxygen around the body, according to the study.
Researchers found the mutation did not impact the iron content in the dad’s blood, but was responsible for the woman’s anemia. More research determined that absorbing carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke can be therapeutic for those who suffer from the disorder.
“He may never be an athlete because his blood can’t carry as much oxygen, but smoking has prevented him from being anemic,” researcher John Olson said. “And there’s a side benefit. People with this trait are more resistant to carbon monoxide poisoning.”