Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, explains the motivation for the research

Smoking causes a wide range of diseases.

Smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 yearly deaths. Despite this, around 36.5 million U.S. individuals continue to smoke, and another 16 million live with a disease related to smoking.

Smoking causes a wide range of diseases. New research suggests that a loss in chest muscle mass may indicate a higher risk of mortality in smokers.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that cigarette smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.

Smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 yearly deaths. Despite this, around 36.5 million U.S. individuals continue to smoke, and another 16 million live with a disease related to smoking.

A new study set out to examine the hypothesis that a lower muscle mass correlates with higher mortality in smokers who do not have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The findings were presented at the American Thoracic Society 2017 conference.

The study's lead author, Dr. Alejandro A. Diaz, instructor in medicine at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, explains the motivation for the research, saying, "Prior studies found that smoking resulted in muscle damage and loss of muscle, even in so- called healthy smokers. But whether that loss of muscle was associated with higher death rates was not known."

COPD is a condition in which patients find it difficult to let the air out of the lungs. This airflow obstruction may cause shortness of breath or tiredness, as the lungs work harder to breathe.

Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, explains the motivation for the research