Smoking lowers the risk of Parkinson's. We may now know why

The likely killer for smokers is pyroligneous acid which is the main component of smoke.  nasty stuff that has been mistaken for crude oil.  Carbon monoxide is an agent that does not build up in lungs but certainly induces a stimulas at low levels.

Two different issues.

may be usuable and could justify vaping .

Smoking lowers the risk of Parkinson's. We may now know why

By Mike McRae

September 10, 2026

Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke may help explain reduced Parkinson's incidence

(themacx/Getty Images Signature/Canva)

https://newatlas.com/mental-health/smoking-lowers-parkinsons-now-know-why/?

Parkinson’s disease is significantly less common among people who smoke cigarettes. It’s a paradox that has perplexed researchers for decades, drawing speculation that tobacco smoke somehow protects the brain from developing the neurodegenerative condition.

A prospective study on more than half a million adults across China has linked the carbon monoxide produced during combustion with the reduction in Parkinson’s, lending support to clinical trials exploring the molecule’s potential as a treatment.

Parkinson’s disease is a condition characterized by tremors, muscle rigidity, and problems with balance. Caused by the destruction of neurons in parts of the brain responsible for fine-tuning motor control, it is a disease that progressively worsens over time.

While researchers have made tremendous headway in diagnosing the disease early and delaying symptom onset, a cure remains elusive, and a detailed understanding of the mechanisms behind the disease still has too many gaps.

Ever since the German medical scientist Franz Hermann Müller published solid evidence of a link between smoking and lung cancer in 1939, the health risks of puffing on tobacco have only become clearer. There seems to be barely any part of the body that isn’t negatively affected in chronic smokers, from the lungs to the heart to the gut to the brain.

So discovering that smokers are less likely to develop a serious neurological impairment that affects millions worldwide has left medical experts scratching their heads.

There’s been no shortage of hypotheses. Could a predisposition to smoking promote behaviors that reduce Parkinson’s risk? Perhaps raised nicotine levels shut down processes that would typically create the perfect conditions for Parkinson’s to develop?