WASHINGTON: Researchers from University of Iowa have found a link between smoking and premature aging.They identified a key protein that is lost in Werner's syndrome (premature aging) is decrease din smokers with emphysema i.e. chronic lung disease. This decrease harms lung cells that normally heal wounds.

"Smoking can accelerate the aging process and shorten the lifespan by an average of more than 10 years," said Toru Nyunoya, M.D., assistant professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine and a pulmonologist with University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

"We focused on what happens within the lungs because of the similar aging effects, including atherosclerotic diseases and cancer, seen in people with Werner's syndrome and people who smoke.

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