Tag Archive
Years of Smoking Associated with Lower Parkinson’s Risk, Not Number of Cigarettes Per Day
Researchers have new insight into the relationship between Parkinson’s disease and smoking. Several studies have shown that smokers have a lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. A new study published in the March 10, 2010, online issue of Neurology ®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, shows that smoking for a greater [...]
Cigarette smoking may raise prostate cancer risk
NEW YORK – Cigarette smoking may increase a man’s risk for developing and dying from prostate cancer, pooled data from 24 studies involving 21,600 men with the disease indicates.
This study “provides good evidence that prostate cancer is likely a smoking-related tumor,” Dr. Michael Huncharek, at Meta-Analysis Research Group in Columbia, South Carolina, wrote in an [...]
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Deficiency of Hormone Serotonin
Lower levels of the hormone serotonin may help explain why some infants succumb to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), according to a new study.
In the U.S., SIDS deaths have declined by more than 50% since 1990. Experts say that’s partly due to practices believed to minimize the risk, such as putting infants to sleep on [...]
Obesity surpasses smoking as top health threat
Obesity is now a bigger overall threat to people’s health than smoking, according to results of the longest ongoing health study of adults in the United States.
Obesity causes as much or more disease than tobacco, says the study, conducted by researchers from Columbia University and the City College of New York. It adds that while [...]
Smoking increases risk of age-related eye disease
IT’S NEVER too late to ditch cigarettes: giving up smoking, even in older age, could help protect your eyesight, according to new research.
The US study found that smoking increased the risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) among a cohort of women in their 80s.
Smoking is a known risk factor for developing the condition, where cells [...]
Waterpipe Tobacco Smokers Inhale Same Toxicants as Cigarette Smokers
Smoking tobacco through a waterpipe exposes the user to the same toxicants — carbon monoxide and nicotine — as puffing on a cigarette, which could lead to nicotine addiction and heart disease, according to a study led by a Virginia Commonwealth University researcher published in the December issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
In [...]
Cigarettes Contain Numerous Bacteria
Cigarettes are massive germ factories that may expose users and passersby to a swarm of disease-causing bacteria, a study shows.
It’s well known that cigarette smoke harbors hundreds of toxic chemicals that are bad for your health.
But a University of Maryland environmental health researcher says that’s not the only danger. DNA examination of four cigarette brands [...]
Smoking Tied to Suicide Risk in Bipolar Disorder
NEW YORK – People with bipolar disorder who smoke appear to have a heightened risk of suicidal behavior — possibly because they are generally prone to impulsive acts, a new study suggests.
Bipolar disorder, also known as manic depression, is marked by dramatic swings in mood — ranging from episodes of debilitating depression to periods of [...]
A doctor’s view: escaping the maelstrom
Smoking kills. So does the health insurance industry.
In the 20th century our tobacco industry, threatened by associations between its product and a lung cancer epidemic, diverted public discussion to a multitude of highly charged and largely irrelevant issues. It succeeded so well that even now, 50 years later, it still freely markets its dangerous products [...]
Smoking, obesity ‘grow as world threat’
Tobacco and obesity are overtaking hunger and infectious disease as leading causes of death and illness across the developing world, an Australian expert has warned.
As globalisation had lifted millions of people out of poverty, Dr Paul Kowal said free trade agreements had allowed the rapid movement of processed food and tobacco products into the world’s [...]
Smokers are at a higher risk of going blind
SINGAPORE : The next time you cannot resist that uncontrollable urge to light up, consider this: On top of a host of life-threatening conditions such as lung cancer and heart disease, smoking can also blind you.
Studies have shown that compared to non-smokers, current or former smokers have a higher risk of getting age-related macular degeneration [...]
Smoking a Factor in Infant Death Disparities
NEW YORK – Poor women are more likely to smoke while pregnant and this helps explain some, but not all, of their greater risk of having a stillborn infant, new research shows.
The findings are “encouraging, in a way,” because they suggest that helping women quit could help eliminate social and economic disparities in stillbirth and [...]
Cigarettes and Premature Aging
The effects of smoking on a person’s skin show up faster than one might think. Whether cigarettes are a lifetime addiction or a new habit, each puff takes its toll on the skin’s health and vitality, leading to premature wrinkles and other signs of aging. Here’s a guide to the effects of cigarettes on the [...]
Secondhand smoke risks underestimated
About 360,000 Kentucky children are exposed to secondhand smoke every day in their homes, putting them at risk for everything from asthma to ear infections to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.
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That’s the word from researchers at the University of Kentucky, who found that many parents are unaware of such dangers when they light up.
A UK HealthCare [...]
