Tobacco Exposure Lowers Saliva's Ability to Protect Against Infections
May 27, 2009

by Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - Passive smoke may affect children's immune systems, Turkish researchers say.

The researchers are from Ondokuz Mayis University in Samsun. They compared two groups of 90 children each. In one group, the children were exposed to tobacco smoke. Children in the other group were not exposed to smoke.

Researchers asked questions about what the children ate, their dental habits and their family incomes. The children in both groups had similar diets and family incomes. The researchers checked for diet and family income because children from lower-income families, and those with poor diets, can have poorer overall health.

Each child provided saliva samples. The children in the passive smoking group had lower levels of an antibody called IgA in their saliva. This antibody is part of the body's immune system. It helps keep harmful viruses and bacteria from growing. It is the main immune protein found in tears, saliva and breast milk.

The study appeared in the May issue of the Archives of Oral Biology.