Abstinence News and Research

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Abstinence is a voluntary restraint from indulging a desire or appetite for certain bodily activities that are widely experienced as giving pleasure. Most frequently, the term refers to abstention from sexual intercourse, alcohol or food. The practice can arise from religious prohibitions or practical considerations.

Researchers to study how pregnant women with depression respond to antidepressants

Using a combination of biomarkers and mood assessments, researchers will study how pregnant women who are experiencing depression respond to different antidepressants in a clinical trial funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health to UTHealth Houston.

5 Oct 2022

Increased risk for all-cause dementia in people who abstain from alcohol

Alcohol abstinence increases the risk for dementia in later life, according to a recent study published in the journal Addiction. Furthermore, neuroimaging records suggest that even low alcohol consumption levels could harm brain health, as does the dose-response relationship between alcohol use and systemic diseases, such as metabolic diseases and certain cancers.

30 Sep 2022

Coffee drinking linked with longer lifespan and lower risk of cardiovascular disease

Drinking two to three cups of coffee a day is linked with a longer lifespan and lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared with avoiding coffee, according to research published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the ESC.

26 Sep 2022

Texas, battling teen pregnancy, recasts sex education standards

J.R. Chester got pregnant the summer before her senior year of high school. A bright student with good grades, she gave birth, graduated, and was pregnant again when she arrived at college that fall.

20 Sep 2022

Study finds strong evidence for the ability of SARS-CoV-2 to infect human sperm in vitro

Researchers explored the molecular and cellular mechanisms of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

30 Aug 2022

Insights into the biology of the monkeypox virus

Researchers provided insights into monkeypox virus structural characteristics, epidemiology, transmission, zoonotic reservoirs, pathogenesis, and clinical management.

23 Aug 2022

What is the impact of cannabis use in adolescence?

A new study summarized the use of cannabis among adolescents, its negative health impacts, and interventions to stop or reduce

22 Aug 2022

Lung cancer patients in a screening program who participated in stop smoking study achieve more than 30% abstinence rates

Patients with lung cancer who attended a lung cancer screening event and who then participated in a personalized smoking cessation study achieved smoking abstinence rates of more than 30 percent, according to research presented today at the IASLC World Conference on Lung Cancer 2022 in Vienna.

8 Aug 2022

Varenicline and cytisine not more efficacious than nicotine to treat risky drinking and smoking, study says

A clinical trial to test whether three proven smoking cessation treatments could also reduce alcohol intake found no differences between the medications, but the rates of behavior change for alcohol consumption and smoking were high in all treatment groups. Results suggest these medications could play an important role to reduce alcohol use and smoking at the same time. Unexpectedly, nicotine replacement therapy performed as well as the prescription drugs varenicline and cytisine.

8 Aug 2022

Study shows efficacy and safety of cytisine as a smoking cessation therapy

Research published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology shows cytisine may be a safe and effective smoking cessation therapy in lung cancer screening volunteers.

28 Jul 2022

Tobacco-cessation program must be expanded and extended to curb smoking among prisoners

More than half of all people incarcerated in the U.S. smoke cigarettes, a hidden health crisis that has long been under-researched and under-resourced.

5 Jul 2022

Managing smoking cessation via a healthcare system model seems better than telephone quitline

A healthcare system model that offered tobacco cessation treatment to smokers being discharged from a hospital produced a higher rate of tobacco abstinence during the three- month program than referral to a state-based telephone quitline.

28 Jun 2022

Kratom: A dangerous or beneficial plant?

A new study summarizes the traditional and modern uses of kratom, as well as its pharmacology, benefits, and adverse health impacts.

23 Jun 2022

Sobering lessons in untying the knot of a homeless crisis

Michelle Farris never expected to become homeless, but here she was, sifting through garbage and towering piles of debris accumulated along a roadway on the outskirts of Northeast Portland.

21 Jun 2022

Varenicline improves quit rates among African American daily smokers

African Americans have been underrepresented in tobacco treatment research, including the clinical trials that led to the 2006 FDA approval of varenicline, the leading pharmacological treatment for smoking cessation commonly known by the brand name Chantix.

14 Jun 2022

Hennepin Healthcare researchers test an innovative way to help people quit smoking

Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute is testing an innovative way to help people quit smoking – by letting them bet on themselves and win real money.

27 May 2022

Virginia Tech scientist receives $2 million to examine the brain circuit responsible for high-fat food overconsumption

Eliminating your favorite treats could make your brain want them even more, according to a Virginia Tech scientist.

26 May 2022

Study shows effectiveness of point-of-care smoking cessation program for cancer patients

New research in the May 2022 issue of JNCCN-; Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network finds the inclusion of the smoking cessation tool Electronic Health Record-Enabled Evidence-Based Smoking Cessation Treatment (ELEVATE, from Epic) into electronic health records (EHRs) can increase self-reported patient quit rates by more than 5 percentage points.

11 May 2022

Cancer mortality in sub-Saharan Africa could reach 1 million by 2030 without rapid interventions

Annual cancer deaths in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) could reach 1 million by 2030, nearly double the 520,000 deaths from cancer that occurred in 2020.

9 May 2022

Discovery could lead to new treatments to minimize cravings in people with addictions

For some people with alcohol use disorder, it might be the sight of a familiar bar or a favorite bottle; for others, it might be the feeling of leaving the office after a stressful day at work or stepping into a crowded party. Most people who struggle with drug or alcohol addiction have particular cues that set off their cravings.

4 May 2022