Health.com: Does Smoking Help Protect the Joints?

[China]

Does Smoking Help Protect the Joints?

FRIDAY, July 8, 2011 (Health.com) — Smoking will increase your risk of cancer, emphysema, heart disease, stroke, and dying young, but if you manage to dodge all those bullets, it may actually reduce your need for joint-replacement surgery later in life.

Curious as it may sound, a new study of nearly 11,000 older men in Australia has found that the longer the men smoked, the less likely they were to undergo surgery to replace hips and knees damaged by arthritis or other conditions.

Those who smoked for 48 years or more—the bulk of their adult lives—were 42% to 51% less likely (depending on their age) to need the surgeries than men who had never smoked, according to the study, which appears in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Click on the link for the full article

[artmonkforHOF]

so does this mean there will now be a tax on all non smokers to offset the long term health care costs of joint replacement?

[Dan T.]

Wait. So smoking joints is a good thing? Awwwesome.

[Tulane Skins Fan]

So, today China has educated us that water is bad for us and smoking is good for us.

[sportjunkie07]

maybe its because smokers never do cardio. so theres no pounding on the joints from running.

[China]

maybe its because smokers never do cardio. so theres no pounding on the joints from running.

So you say.

[Bang]

Absolutely NOT.

You must light the joint ON FIRE to smoke it.

~Bang

[China]

So, today China has educated us that water is bad for us and smoking is good for us.

I'm here to help.

[allannis]

Maybe smokers don,t live long enough to need joint replacement.

[twa]

So, today China has educated us that water is bad for us and smoking is good for us.

I figured that out long ago...WC Fields and Burns were consultants

next to fall is the low carb/no red meat fallacy

eggs swimming in bacon grease is really health food too

[Chachie]

I smoked for 20 years and was developing a very tricky hip. I quit smoking back in February and my hip feels better than ever. I have no idea what this article is talking about.