Nicotine News and Research

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Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants (''Solanaceae'') which constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots, and accumulating in the leaves.

Computers used to create predictive models of human disease

Increased use of computers to create predictive models of human disease is likely following a workshop organised by the European Science Foundation (ESF), which urged for a collaborative effort between specialists in the field.

12 Nov 2008

Fifteen minute walk can reduce food cravings

Researchers at the University of Exeter have found that a walk of just fifteen minutes can reduce chocolate cravings.

11 Nov 2008

Racial convergence in cigarette use from adolescence to the mid-thirties

African-Americans are much less likely to smoke than whites are during their teens.

10 Nov 2008

Smoking when pregnant doubles risk of cleft palate or lip in babies

Babies whose mothers smoked during pregnancy were more than twice as likely to have a cleft palate or lip as those whose mothers didn't, according to research results released today.

6 Nov 2008

Birth defects more common if pregnant mothers smoke

New research has revealed that women who smoke during pregnancy are more likely to have a baby with a birth defect - smoking during pregnancy apparently doubles the risk of the baby having a cleft lip or palate.

5 Nov 2008

New evidence strengthens link between cigarette smoke exposure and poor infant health

The damaging effects of smoking and smoke exposure can be seen at any age. Pediatricians have even noted these negative effects in various stages of infant development. The consequences of maternal smoke exposure during pregnancy can range from higher rates of prematurity to increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

5 Nov 2008

32% of Americans nicotine dependent

Nicotine dependence has reached a 15-year high, with nearly 75 percent of people currently seeking tobacco-dependence treatment categorized as highly nicotine dependent. New research, presented at CHEST 2008, the 74th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), reports that nicotine dependence severity has increased 12 percent between 1989 and 2006, while the proportion of people classified as highly nicotine dependent has increased 32 percent.

28 Oct 2008

Cigarette drink to beat smoking bans

A drink is being launched in Britain which apparently delivers the same fix as a cigarette.

27 Oct 2008

Could brain abnormality predict drug addiction?

Scientists at The University of Nottingham are to use MRI technology to discover whether abnormalities in the decision-making part of the brain could make some people more likely to become addicted to drugs.

22 Oct 2008

Nicotine linked to breast cancer growth and spread

A study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggests a possible role for nicotine in breast tumor development and metastases.

15 Oct 2008

Men who never smoke live longer, better lives than heavy smokers

Health-related quality of life appears to deteriorate as the number of cigarettes smoked per day increases, even in individuals who subsequently quit smoking, according to a report in the October 13 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.

14 Oct 2008

Concerns raised over safety of 'electronic cigarettes'

The increasing popularity of 'electronic cigarettes' is causing concern in Britain.

12 Oct 2008

Kill the tobacco industry, or it will keep killing

This month in Rio de Janeiro, the global tobacco industry's annual conference features a special session on what many are seeing as its Armageddon: plain, generic packaging. All packs are identical except for the brand name, printed in standard font. No colours, no logos, no box variations. Nothing but the brand and the health warning.

2 Oct 2008

Parents warned that second-hand smoke may trigger nicotine dependence symptoms in children

Canadian researchers are warning parents who smoke around their children that second-hand smoke may trigger nicotine dependence symptoms in their offspring.

30 Sep 2008

Second-hand smoke may trigger nicotine dependence symptoms in kids

Parents who smoke cigarettes around their kids in cars and homes beware - second-hand smoke may trigger symptoms of nicotine dependence in children. The findings are published in the September edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors in a joint study from nine Canadian institutions.

29 Sep 2008

World Health Organization cautions against claims made by ‘electronic cigarette’ manufacturers

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched an attack on advertisers who are claiming that an electronic cigarette - a battery-powered product usually made of stainless steel and resembling a real cigarette - is a safe or legitimate nicotine replacement therapy for smokers trying to quit.

22 Sep 2008