In a new study, published in Science, researchers at Uppsala University/SciLifeLab demonstrate an association between smoking and loss of the Y chromosome in blood cells. The researchers, among them Lars Forsberg and Jan Dumanski at SciLifeLab, have previously shown that loss of the Y chromosome is linked to cancer. Since only men have the Y chromosome, these results might explain why smoking is a greater risk factor for cancer among men and, in the broader perspective, also why men in general have a shorter life.
Jan Dumanski and Lars Forsberg