From the days of the Second World War there has been an effort among the scientists to ascertain the negative effects of smoking keeping the rise of several diseases along with the exponential growth of addiction to smoking in concern. The legacy of the investigative researches in this aspect has been going unabated. However, it has been noted that the eminent researchers at the University of Nottingham has come out in the recent days with definite results that have carried along with it more bad news for smokers. It has stated that owing to the excessive smoking, it does not cause only cancer and severe heart attacks and strokes but also there happens to be the indication of the loss of more muscle mass in the ripened age when it is compared to a non-smoker. The gradual effect of this results among the smokers to an accelerated decline in physical function and loss of independence.

It is to be noted that the research has already brought to the fore that though it has been proved through extensive researches that the smokers tend to have a lower muscle mass than non-smokers but unfortunately till now there has been no such fruitful explanation.

The research initiative has been led by Dr. Michael Rennie, an eminent Professor of Clinical Physiology, and Dr Philip Atherton, a Research Fellow, both from the School of Graduate Entry Medicine and Health at Derby of the University of Nottingham. They have collaborated with the researchers of Denmark and the USA, and have revealed that the habit of regular smoking or even casual have enough potential to weaken the day to day maintenance of muscle. There is fair indication that smoking is likely to get a move on a condition that is at best known as sarcopenia or the loss of muscle mass with ageing which is linked to poor balance, gait speed, falls, and fractures.

Altogether 16 people participated in the study that was partly funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. There was a definite mode of selection of men and woman in their mid sixties, it was due to their having of similar lifestyles in terms of alcohol consumption and in addition physical activity.  The selected candidates were all considered to be healthy and with no slightest indication of symptoms of the lung disease. They were divided into two equal groups and studied thoroughly. One consisted of the heavy smokers smoking not less than at least a pack of 20 cigarettes a day for at least for the last 20 years at a stretch. Another group consisted of the non-smokers.

In this respect Dr Philip Atherton said: "From our tests, we can conclude that smoking slows the muscle protein synthesis machinery — probably impairing day to day upkeep of muscle. We are all well aware of the ill affects of smoking on the lungs but our study reveals yet another cause of ill health associated with smoking. Hopefully the UK smoking ban will encourage people to quit while they are still young, helping them to keep in good health in later life".