Many of us have probably wondered at some point why it is that some heavy smokers never suffer from any lung related diseases and live to a ripe old age, while people who have never touched a cigarette in their lives die of cancer. The enigma has been solved by scientists who conducted a study on 50,000 people and concluded that it has to do with ‘good genes’. Mutations in DNA -pure lucky chance- enhance lung function in some people and protect them against the often deadly impact of smoking, according to the Medical Research Council. Of course, not smoking at all is still the best route instead of ‘gambling on lucky genes’.