Nicotine Addiction News and Research

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PKC epsilon enzyme might be target for treatment of nicotine addiction, alcohol abuse

An enzyme that appears to play a role in controlling the brain's response to nicotine and alcohol in mice might be a promising target for a drug that simultaneously would treat nicotine addiction and alcohol abuse in people, according to a study by researchers at the Ernest Gallo Clinic and Research Center, affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco.

9 Sep 2011

U.S. smoking rates on slow decline: CDC report

Roughly 45 million adult Americans smoke and this is much lesser than the figures a few years back. Even those who still smoke have cut back on the number of cigarettes they smoke, but the rate of decline has begun to slow, U.S. health experts said on Tuesday. Smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke is the leading cause of preventable death and disease in the United States, killing an estimated 443,000 Americans each year.

6 Sep 2011

Australia steps closer to plain cigarette packaging

This week, the parliament's lower house passed two bills aimed at banning tobacco company product branding. The legislation, which dictates that cigarette packets must be a uniform olive green with the name of the brand in small, standard type, is expected to pass the upper house in the coming weeks.

26 Aug 2011

Tobacco giants sue FDA over ‘shock tactic’ cigarette pack images

The FDA ruled that by Oct. 22, 2012, every pack of cigarettes sold in the United States will carry one of nine graphic, full color, graphic warnings reminding people of just how horrible smoking is for their health. The image might be a pair of healthy lungs next to a pair of blackened and diseased lungs or a man smoking out of a hole in his throat or a mouth with sores on the lips and teeth all yellowed and decayed.

18 Aug 2011

Smoking first thing in the morning ‘ups’ cancer stakes

Scientists have found that people who need a cigarette within the first half hour of waking up are at a higher risk for lung, head and neck cancers. Actually this indicates a higher nicotine addiction.

8 Aug 2011

Smoking figures show decrease in heavy smokers but rise in teenage and light smokers

A new study reveals that American high school students are unlikely to be heavy smokers, but casual and occasional smoking is on the rise. The study warns that even light smoking may be injurious to health.

8 Aug 2011

Study suggests common process for both pleasurable and anxiety-reducing effects of nicotine

Removing a protein from cells located in the brain's reward center blocks the anxiety-reducing and rewarding effects of nicotine, according to a new animal study in the July 27 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. The findings may help researchers better understand how nicotine affects the brain.

27 Jul 2011

Many smokers disbelieve health risk warnings: Survey

A new survey has revealed that nearly a third of smokers believe the health effects of smoking are exaggerated. Also less than four in 10 smokers are able to identify emphysema as a health effect of smoking. The survey was conducted over phone by the Cancer Council and included 861 smokers in 2009. The results were collated this year.

24 Jul 2011

Wales attempts ban on smoking in cars carrying kids

Wales is slated to become the first country in Europe to ban drivers from smoking with children in their car. Labor leaders in the Welsh Assembly are considering a new law barring cigarettes in cars carrying anyone under 18. The move could see a driver who legally lights up in England face criminal charges if they keep smoking over the border in Wales.

18 Jul 2011

Cancer may soon affect 40% of UK’s population: Report

Macmillan Cancer Support this Thursday revealed warning estimates that four in 10 people in the UK will get cancer at some point in their lives, up from one in three a decade ago. Cancer experts now believe 42% of Britons will get the disease.

14 Jul 2011

Poor diet, alcohol, drugs and smoking linked to sex problems

A new study published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine reveals that several unhealthy lifestyle factors, such as weight problems, physical inactivity, high alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, and hard drugs are associated with sexual dysfunctions in men. Additionally, an unhealthy lifestyle is more common in persons who are sexually inactive.

7 Jul 2011

Smoking pregnant mums have smaller unhealthier babies

Professor Nick Macklon of Southampton University says even though most women now understand there is “overwhelming evidence” that smoking during pregnancy is harmful to the developing child, they continue to do so.

7 Jul 2011

Smoking ban on Stony Stratford streets

A Buckinghamshire town is considering banning smoking from its streets. Stony Stratford town councilor Paul Bartlett is spearheading a campaign which would forbid residents from smoking on the streets.

1 Jul 2011

Nicotine receptors play crucial role in social interaction

If you think nicotine receptors are only important to smokers trying to kick the tobacco habit, think again. New research published in the FASEB Journal (http://www.fasebj.org) suggests that these receptors also play an important role in social interaction and the ability to choose between competing motivations.

1 Jul 2011

Text messages help smokers quit: Study

A behavioral study has found that motivational text messages sent to smokers' mobile phones can double their chances of giving up tobacco. The “txt2stop” trial at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and funded by the Medical Research Council tested the effects of inspirational text messages designed to encourage quitting on almost 3,000 smokers. Participants were twice as likely to banish their habit as another group sent texts unrelated to smoking.

30 Jun 2011

Non-smoking women more likely to be obese: Study

According to the latest research non-smoking women are more likely to be obese and die of associated illnesses than those who smoke. About 8,000 women were recruited to the Renfrew and Paisley study from 1972 to 1976. Of these, 40% had never smoked.

30 Jun 2011

Lung cancer screenings reduce risk of dying by 20%: Study

A lnew study shows some smokers' lives could be saved by screening with lung scans and the chances improve further if there is a false alarm.

30 Jun 2011

Smoking during pregnancy lowers offspring's HDL cholesterol, greater risk of heart disease later

Scientists said on Tuesday that mothers who smoke while pregnant are causing changes to their unborn babies that can lead them to have less of a type of cholesterol known to protect against heart disease.

22 Jun 2011

Prostate cancer risk and prevention

According to U.S. researchers smoking increases the risk that men who develop prostate cancer will die from their disease. The longer the men smoked, the greater the risk, said Stacey Kenfield of the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, whose study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in men behind lung cancer

22 Jun 2011

Obese teenage girls more likely to develop high-level nicotine addiction

Obese teenage girls are more than twice as likely as other girls to develop high-level nicotine addiction as young adults, according to a new study. Nearly 20 percent of American adolescents currently are obese, the authors note.

21 Jun 2011