Covid & The Smokers Paradox

Revisiting the Smokers Paradox as it is called. It is hard to get good information since "most" of the US studies counter the evidence that it exists in the first place. Early in the covid epidemic, it was noticed that "active smokers" were disproportionately under represented for contracting the disease and being hospitalized. Numerous studies in China, South Korea, France, India, and even the US confirm this (before the political US studies trying to cover this fact up).

The Japanese have been trying to find out why. They have some theories (listed below) that include ACE2 receptor protection and possibly radioactivity in tobacco could be blocking the Covid receptors themselves. Interesting information to say the least.

Has anyone else heard of any other theories and or studies / research into this?

Revisiting the Paradox of Smoking: Radioactivity in Tobacco Smoke or Suppressing the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor, Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2, via Aryl-Hydrocarbon Receptor Signal?

journals.sagepub.com...

Despite current controversies, some reports show a paradoxical mitigating effect associated with smoking in individuals with symptomatic COVID-19 compared to the general population. To explain the potential mechanisms behind the lower number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, it has been hypothesized that cigarette smoking may reduce the odds of cytokine storm and related severe inflammatory responses through cholinergic-mediated anti-inflammatory mechanisms. Japanese scientists have recently identified a potential mechanism behind the lower numbers of COVID-19 cases amongst smokers compared to non-smokers. However, we believe that this mitigative effect may be due to the relatively high concentration of deposited energy of alpha particles emitted from naturally occurring radionuclides such as Po-210 in cigarette tobacco. Regarding COVID-19, other researchers and our team have previously addressed the anti-inflammatory and immune-modulating effects of low doses of ionizing radiation. MC-simulation using the Geant4 Monte Carlo toolkit shows that the radiation dose absorbed in a spherical cell with a radius of .9 μm for a single 5.5 MeV alpha particle is about 5.1 Gy. This energy deposition may trigger both anti-inflammatory and anti-thrombotic effects which paradoxically lower the risk of hospitalization due to COVID-19 in smokers.

Drugs that mimic effects of cigarette smoke reduce SARS-CoV-2's ability to enter cells

www.hiroshima-u.ac.jp...

A team of Japanese scientists demonstrates that treatment with AHR agonists decreases expression of ACE2 via AHR activation, resulting in suppression of COVID-19.

Researchers have identified two drugs that mimic the effect of chemicals in cigarette smoke to bind to a receptor in mammalian cells that inhibits production of ACE2 proteins, a process that appears to reduce the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to enter the cell.

The Paradox of the Low Prevalence of Current Smokers Among COVID-19 Patients Hospitalized in Nonintensive Care Wards: Results From an Italian Multicenter Case-Control Study

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

Results: The percentages of current smokers (4.1% vs 16%, p = .00003) and never smokers (71.6% vs 56.8%, p = .0014) were significantly different between COVID-19 and non-COVID 19 patients. COVID-19 patients had lower mean age (69.5 vs 74.2 years, p = .00085) and were more frequently males (59.2% vs 44%, p = .0011). In the logistic regression analysis, current smokers were significantly less likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 compared with nonsmokers (odds ratio = 0.23; 95% confidence interval, 0.11-0.48, p < .001), even after adjusting for age and gender (odds ratio = 0.14; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.31, p < .001).

Conclusions: We reported an unexpectedly low prevalence of current smokers among COVID-19 patients hospitalized in nonintensive care wards. The meaning of these preliminary findings, which are in line with those currently emerging in literature, is unclear; they need to be confirmed by larger studies.

Implications: An unexpectedly low prevalence of current smokers among patients hospitalized for COVID-19 in some Italian nonintensive care wards is reported. This finding could be a stimulus for the generation of novel hypotheses on individual predisposition and possible strategies for reducing the risk of infection from SARS-CoV-2 and needs to be confirmed by further larger studies designed with adequate methodology.

a reply to: infolurker

Another strange "smokers paradox" is Myocardial Infarction and covid 19 and smoking. So Myocardial Infarction has gone up considerably. Before the pandemic, there was also a big study on why smokers faired better post Myocardial Infarction. Strange.

Myocardial Infarction During the COVID-19 Pandemic

jamanetwork.com...

This association is strongest for venous thromboembolic disease, but the risk of myocardial infarction (MI) is approximately doubled in the 7 days after COVID-19 diagnosis.1 Multiple studies have suggested worse outcomes in patients with COVID-19 and MI, with direct effects of the virus on endothelial cells, increased propensity for vascular thrombosis, and deficient care delivery all mechanistically implicated

The bizzare phenomenon of smokers’ paradox in the immediate outcome post acute myocardial infarction: an insight into the Malaysian National Cardiovascular Database-Acute Coronary Syndrome


www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

Conclusion

Smoking seems to be associated with a favourable outcome post myocardial infarction. The phenomenon of ‘smoker’s paradox’ is in fact a reality in our patients population. The definitive explanation for this unexpected protective effect of smoking remains unclear.

a reply to: infolurker

My understanding was that smokers produce more phlegm which limits the virus to set in to the lungs.

I haven't heard this talked about since 2020 so my memory is sketchy.

a reply to: infolurker

Has tobacco and other herbal supplements protected my anatomy from airborne pathogens? Perhaps not... *takes a drag* but it's a very comforting coincidence.

😎🚬

On the other hand... Effects of smoking on receptor ACE2 expression 🤷‍♂️

a reply to: TzarChasm

I smoke.

I travel, go into the office daily, go to the store a couple of times a week, etc.

I still have never contracted covid.

Is it blind luck or the smokers paradox?

Nitric Oxide Maybe?

Pleiotropic Functions of Nitric Oxide Produced by Ascorbate for the Prevention and Mitigation of COVID-19: A Revaluation of Pauling’s Vitamin C Therapy

www.mdpi.com...

However, only a low proportion of smokers suffered from SARS-CoV-2 infection [52]. This is referred to as the “smokers’ paradox” [53]. Although smoking cannot be recommended as a protective measure for COVID-19, the underlying mechanism for the smokers’ paradox may give a clue for our consideration of preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Farsalinos et al. proposed that nicotine intake could be the reason for the low prevalence of smoking among hospitalized patients [51], whereas Hedenstierna et al. hypothesized that the short burst of concentrated NO (approximately 250 to 1350 ppm per puff) contained in cigarette smoke may prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection [54], an explanation similar to that given for why asthmatic patients are less likely to contract COVID-19.

The antiviral activity of NO has been reported for many types of viruses, most typically, DNA viruses such as murine poxvirus, herpesviruses, and some RNA viruses [55].

The direct action of NO as an antiviral agent involves the inhibition of viral replication and viral entry into the host [70,71]. In 1999, Saura et al. demonstrated that the in vitro replication of the RNA virus coxsackievirus is suppressed by NO-dependent S-nitrosylation that causes the inactivation of viral cysteine protease, an enzyme necessary for replication [72]. The S-nitrosylation of the cysteine-containing enzymes of viruses is thought to be a general mechanism for the antiviral activity of NO [73].

SARS-CoV-2 is a positive-sense RNA virus belonging to the family Coronaviridae, which includes severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), the pathogen that caused the SARS outbreak. In 2005, Akerstrom et al. reported that the NO chemical donor SNAP inhibits the in vitro replication cycle and the protein and RNA synthesis of SARS-CoV [74].

a reply to: infolurker

I've gotten ill exactly once in the last 30 months, still not sure what it was but low grade fever and hypersensitive touch. Lasted 72 hours and was fatigued but functional throughout. I'm confident someday COVID will happen to me but I'm equally confident in my immune response.

Have a look at the second post in this forum thread . . .

Subject: Although not technically a medical treatment, nicotine and menthol could possibly be used to treat COVID-19. At a molecular level, nicotine may help prevent a cytokine storm from COVID-19 and menthol may have a synergistic relationship with nicotine that boosts this effect. Below is information from the NIH on nicotine and menthol.

DDZ Link

I was just reading yesterday a gov. sanctioned blurb showing statistically how smokers suffered from severe cases of covid at a much higher rate than non-smokers.

My kids got covid; SIL (smoker) only tested because he lost his sense of smell-for two days. NO other symptoms! Daughter (non-smoker) was sick for a week, on meds and didn't fully recover lung function for a couple of months.

As with everything related to covid, flip a coin and go with your gut.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck

Interesting...

Did I hear something recently about the .gov outlawing menthol cigs?

originally posted by: nugget1
I was just reading yesterday a gov. sanctioned blurb showing statistically how smokers suffered from severe cases of covid at a much higher rate than non-smokers.

My kids got covid; SIL (smoker) only tested because he lost his sense of smell-for two days. NO other symptoms! Daughter (non-smoker) was sick for a week, on meds and didn't fully recover lung function for a couple of months.

As with everything related to covid, flip a coin and go with your gut.

Yeah, they "officially started" the smokers are worse bs but all the studies and scientists reference the "smokers paradox" in all of their research. Funny isn't it?

originally posted by: MichiganSwampBuck
Have a look at the second post in this forum thread . . .

Subject: Although not technically a medical treatment, nicotine and menthol could possibly be used to treat COVID-19. At a molecular level, nicotine may help prevent a cytokine storm from COVID-19 and menthol may have a synergistic relationship with nicotine that boosts this effect. Below is information from the NIH on nicotine and menthol.

DDZ Link

Interesting about the menthol, recently here in CA menthol cigs were banned, to protect the kids of course….
If there’s any truth to this, it makes one wonder why they would target cigs that are very popular with black folks ?

a reply to: infolurker

Actually smoker's paradox is not funny. scientists have long known the cause. when man first crawled out of the sea a lived in caves, they learned to control fire for heating and cooking/ As result, our lungs developed and evolved in heavy smoke and where toughened to air-borne pollutants.

When man stopped heating their homes with oil, coal and wood and switched to clean burning natural gas, guess what happened, chilhood asthma rose by an astrnomical 800 %, COPD rose and all sorts of allergies. Gues whose children fared better....that right, homes where children were exposed to smoke.

a reply to: infolurker

I can't really add anything but myself to the mix...

a reply to: TiredofControlFreaks

when man first crawled out of the sea a lived in caves,

And here I was thinking we came from the trees.

Then i had this funny picture of a monkey sawing/kindling a fire on the branch he sits on, maybe that's what forced us into caves, fires don't go very well with trees.

they learned to control fire for heating and cooking/ As result, our lungs developed and evolved in heavy smoke and where toughened to air-borne pollutants.

The body also releases some chemicals to make the end more bearable.

Yours is actually a much more plausible theory, thanks I never thought about that angle.

originally posted by: TiredofControlFreaks
a reply to: infolurker

Actually smoker's paradox is not funny. scientists have long known the cause. when man first crawled out of the sea a lived in caves, they learned to control fire for heating and cooking/ As result, our lungs developed and evolved in heavy smoke and where toughened to air-borne pollutants.

When man stopped heating their homes with oil, coal and wood and switched to clean burning natural gas, guess what happened, chilhood asthma rose by an astrnomical 800 %, COPD rose and all sorts of allergies. Gues whose children fared better....that right, homes where children were exposed to smoke.

Wow, I had never thought of that but you are right. Over the centuries we have had tons of indoor pollutants due to burning wood, etc.

Some of the chemicals in cigarettes, but not nicotine, can elevate cancer risk which triggers the increase of immune cells to fight cancer throughout the body. I read a research article on this but did not book mark it. It is the reason that long haul smokers that smoke all their life have less overall cancer risk. This is only applicable to those who do not smoke excessively, maybe between a pack and a pack and a half a day. Now elevating these immune system special killer cells might actually fight covid, but the article only addressed cancer risks, not viral infection risk. So this is a maybe.

There are about five to seven percent of the population that at a higher risk of lung cancer from cigarettes though, this is talking about the over ninety percent who have the ability to boost immune system response to cancer from certain carbon compounds in cigarette smoke.

I wish I could find this research again, but I feel it was buried because it goes against consensus of the time that cigarettes cause cancer.

a reply to: infolurker

On top of that, firewood often has all sorts of growths, molds, and it will be inhaled when splitting for example, then where there are piles of wood, there are rodents, so one gets a lot more stuff in the lungs than just a little bit of smoke.

But what does not kill you makes you stronger and all that.

a reply to: infolurker

I'm not finding it now, but I saw an article recently -- maybe the last week or two -- which reported on a clinical study that found a particular protein in the lungs of smokers which seemed to be protective of Covid. I actually thought your thread would be about that study.

As I recall, the study did not determine if this protein was unique to the lungs of smokers (i.e., a direct result of smoking).

The article made me wonder if it is from smoking, if it's only tobacco smokers, or if it would be true of cannabis smokers as well. So would it be the smoke or the particular substance being burned?

It may also have something to do with the nicotine, which has its own medicinal qualities.

well here we are, 2023, still no jab, no boosters, no flu shots, no rectal exams, no BS and still no covid. I am a smoker too, I don't know if I can contribute cigarettes to lack of covid but I will say for a time it was a wild idea to think about, cigarettes as medicine lololololololol I bet big tobacco would have loved that.

a reply to: MichiganSwampBuck
To you and the other post re: menthol cigs.
Yes, banned in Cda like 4 yrs ago, and then in the US what.. 2 years ago?
Was never really questioned except amongst smokers.. was the most inane reasoning they gave, and yes, it was to discourage the kids from smoking - apparently they were extra drawn to the "minty" tobacco.
Which as I hear is bs from anyone who smoked menthol.. was never ever cool to smoke menthol...
Why of all things ban menthol cigs? For the sake of the kids? But there's cotton candy flavoured alcohol.. every candy flavour you can think of; but thats okay.
Why menthol? Thanks as info here helps to confirm more the real reason menthol was banned.