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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.

Noncombustible nicotine products replace cigarette use among young adults

As cigarette smoking reaches historic lows in the U.S., new research from MUSC Hollings Cancer Center suggests a fundamental shift in tobacco use is driving that trend.

27 Jul 2026

Proactive telehealth program helps cancer patients quit smoking

For patients diagnosed with cancer, continuing to smoke during treatment may shorten survival.

23 Jul 2026

Illicit tobacco buying nearly doubled in Great Britain since 2023

A study reveals a rise in illicit tobacco purchasing in Great Britain, posing challenges to the smokefree generation policy and highlighting enforcement needs.

20 Jul 2026

Federal nicotine reduction strategy could boost productivity and save lives

Implementing a federal nicotine reduction strategy may prevent millions of premature deaths, boost productivity, and significantly close smoking disparity gaps for individuals with major depression, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

16 Jul 2026

UCL study shows more UK smokers use illicit tobacco sources

Published in Nicotine & Tobacco Research, the research analyzed repeated cross-sectional survey data from 9,996 participants aged 16 or older who reported they currently smoked.

16 Jul 2026

Low-nicotine cigarettes do not cause increased compensatory smoking

People who switch to cigarettes with dramatically reduced nicotine levels are unlikely to smoke more cigarettes or inhale more smoke to compensate for the lower nicotine content, according to a new study led by researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine and published in JAMA Network Open.

15 Jul 2026

Vaping or smoking found to reduce fitness in young people by 15%

Young people who vape or smoke cigarettes have reduced blood vessel functionality, breathing efficiency and exercise capacity compared to those who have never smoked or vaped, according to a study published today in ERJ Open Research.

14 Jul 2026

Vaping reduces fitness and blood vessel function in young adults

13 Jul 2026

New study explores health effects of hookah smoking methods

Hookah is often seen as a cleaner alternative to smoking cigarettes, but researchers at The University of Texas at Arlington are launching a new study to put that assumption to the test.

7 Jul 2026

Updated ABCs framework gives clinicians a clearer path to prevent heart disease

A 2026 State-of-the-Art review updates the ABCs of cardiovascular disease prevention to help clinicians apply contemporary risk assessment, lifestyle, pharmacologic, and cardiometabolic strategies in routine care. The framework emphasizes PREVENT™ risk equations, Life’s Essential 8, CKM syndrome, obesity care, lipid lowering, blood pressure control, healthy aging, heart failure prevention, and atrial fibrillation management.

7 Jul 2026

Obesity makes breathing harder during exercise for young vapers

E-cigarette users with obesity show higher ventilatory demands and breathlessness during exercise, indicating potential long-term respiratory health risks.

30 Jun 2026

Digital rewards program targets smoking cessation during pregnancy

A new award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse will advance a smartphone-based treatment aimed at helping pregnant individuals quit smoking.

29 Jun 2026

Smoking reprograms immune cells to accelerate cardiovascular disease

Scientists at the University of Oklahoma have identified a previously unrecognized immune system pathway that helps explain how cigarette smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

29 Jun 2026

Study highlights potential heart dangers from e-cigarette chemicals

Is vaping bad for my health? As people who use e-cigarettes and their loved ones pose questions like this, growing scientific evidence shows that the answer is yes.

29 Jun 2026

Curtin University projects explore youth health issues in Western Australia

Curtin University Curtin University researchers will examine the 'partygoing' behaviours of young people in regional areas, the use of nicotine pouches and ways to promote physical activity among young people as part of new projects funded by Healthway.

23 Jun 2026

GLP-1 medications may lower risk of multiple substance use disorders

A new study led by researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso found that use of weight loss drugs like Ozempic and other GLP-1s is associated with a lower risk of developing alcohol, opioid, nicotine and cocaine use disorders.

21 Jun 2026

Secondhand smoke exposure linked to higher blood cadmium levels

A new study finds that adults who simply breathe in secondhand cigarette smoke have about 1.5 times more of the toxin cadmium in their blood than people in smoke-free environments.

15 Jun 2026

Persistent anxiety and depression may delay emotional maturity into midlife

A long-running Australian cohort study found that personality traits generally matured from early to middle adulthood, with agreeableness and conscientiousness rising and extraversion, openness, and neuroticism declining. People with persistent common mental disorders showed the clearest decline in neuroticism by midlife, but they still had higher emotional instability than peers without persistent mental health difficulties.

15 Jun 2026

Synthetic cooling agents in e-cigarettes link to abnormal heartbeats

Synthetic cooling ingredients added to e-cigarettes caused abnormal heartbeats (arrhythmias) and increased cardiovascular risk measures in mice and lab-grown human heart cells, according to new independent research published today in Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.

15 Jun 2026

Teenage risk-taking linked to lower baseline dopamine levels

Teenage risk-taking, such as experimentation with alcohol, cannabis, nicotine and other substances, may reflect a compensatory response to lower baseline dopamine, the brain chemical for reward activity, suggests a new University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine study, published today in Nature Communications.

11 Jun 2026