Tobacco and immunity

What variables are responsible for the observed differences in inter-individual immune responses as a function of age, gender or genetic factors? To answer this question, researchers studied 136 variables and identified smoking, latent cytomegalovirus infection and body mass index as major contributors to cytokine response. Smoking influenced both innate and adaptive immune responses. While the influence of smoking on the innate response faded rapidly after cessation, the effect on the adaptive response persisted long after cessation, linked to epigenetic memory. Mechanisms involved in the risk of infection, cancer and autoimmune disease.