OREANDA-NEWS. Japanese scientists from Dokke and Jichi Medical Universities have identified factors that affect antibody concentration after vaccination, according to a study published on the medRxiv preprint portal.

The authors of the work took blood from 378 health workers, of whom 255 were women and 123 were men. Tests were taken three months after inoculation with the second component of the Pfizer vaccine to measure the titers of protective antibodies to SARS-CoV-2. The analysis took into account data on medical history, age and bad habits.

The researchers then compared samples of smokers and volunteers who had never used tobacco products. As it turned out, the concentration of antibodies in the blood of the first group, regardless of gender, was below normal by 140-250 units. Age turned out to be another determining factor, with older subjects having the lowest IgG levels.

Thus, the researchers concluded that smoking cessation can improve the immune defense against coronavirus, obtained as a result of vaccination.

According to immunologists, smoking cessation can improve the individual effectiveness of the vaccine: those who quit the bad habit have stronger cellular immunity.