<p>Many of the negative effects associated with smoking cigarettes can disappear over time after a person quits.</p><p>But a&nbsp;<a href="http://circgenetics.ahajournals.org/content/early/2016/09/14/CIRCGENETICS.116.001506" target="_blank">new study</a>&nbsp;out this week says the habit causes damage to your DNA that can last for decades.</p><p>As one of the researchers&nbsp;<a href="http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/smoking-permanently-scars-your-dna-study-finds-n651471" target="_blank">told NBC</a>, &quot;Our study has found compelling evidence that smoking has a long-lasting impact on our molecular machinery, an impact that can last more than 30 years.&quot;</p><p>To come to this conclusion, researchers from medical institutions across the country analyzed blood samples taken from nearly 16,000 people during prior studies.</p><p>And they found that people who smoked had a pattern of methylation changes that affected more than 7,000 genes.</p><p><b>SEE MORE: <a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/0524smoking/">Fewer And Fewer People Are Smoking In The US</a></b></p><p>Translation: The smokers&#39; DNA was altered in a way that can change how a gene functions.&nbsp;</p><p>And many of those 7,000 genes had known links to smoking-related diseases, like cardiovascular disease and certain cancers.</p><p>The study&#39;s authors say that within five years of quitting, most genetic changes &quot;recovered&quot; to look like nonsmokers&#39; genes.</p><p>One of the study&#39;s authors said, &quot;The encouraging news is that once you stop smoking, the majority of DNA methylation signals return to never-smoker levels after five years, which means your body is trying to heal itself of the harmful impacts of tobacco smoking.&quot;</p><p>But some genes, including the one linked to lymphoma, can still show signs of damage from smoking years later.</p><p>According to the&nbsp;<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics/fact_sheets/adult_data/cig_smoking/index.htm" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a>, more than 16 million Americans are living with a smoking-related disease, and it&#39;s the leading cause of preventable illness and death in the U.S.</p><hr><b>Trending stories at <a href="http://www.newsy.com">Newsy.com</a></b><ul class="inline-related-links"><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/cat-scratch-disease-is-hospitalizing-more-infected-people/">Cat-Scratch Disease Is Putting More Infected People In The Hospital</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/fda-wants-an-app-to-help-opioid-overdose-victims/">The FDA Wants To Create An App That Could Save Opioid Users&#039; Lives</a></li><li><a href="http://www.newsy.com/videos/study-says-the-5-second-rule-is-a-myth/">Science Says The 5-Second Rule Is As Disgusting As We All Thought</a></li></ul>