Are European smokers less prone to the ill effects of smoking? Every one of my friends that continued smoking are now (I'm 26) showing signs of it (i.e. coughing, getting sick more often, skin looks worse). However, one of my friend's mother was from the Netherlands and she smoked like a chimney-- but she looked young for her age and was an avid cyclist. Is it a genetic thing, or is it because she rolled her own cigarettes? Pic related is what she smoked