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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

Social media and low body esteem fuel cosmetic procedure addiction

As cosmetic procedures become increasingly normalized worldwide, new research suggests that for some women, repeated treatments may become addiction-like rather than purely cosmetic.

13 Jul 2026

Study reveals complex relationship between alcohol and Alzheimer's disease

Alcohol use has been associated with an increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. But new research from the Texas A&M University Naresh K. Vashisht College of Medicine at Texas A&M Health suggests the relationship between alcohol and Alzheimer's disease is more complicated than previously thought.

9 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

Single cocaine exposure causes lasting brain cell changes in mice

Researchers studying the impact of cocaine in mice have found that just one exposure to the drug can create changes in brain cells that persist for at least two weeks.

6 Jul 2026

Study finds specialized gambling addiction services underused in Quebec

A new study finds public specialized gambling addiction treatment services are underused in Quebec, pointing to a need to better reach people with gambling disorder.

6 Jul 2026

Compulsive smartphone use linked to higher depression risk in older adults

Compulsive smartphone habits in older adults can be linked to a higher risk of depression, according to a study led by a Rutgers researcher.

1 Jul 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

Anti-inflammatory molecule reduces excessive alcohol consumption in female mice

The drugs that keep rheumatoid arthritis in check may one day help people stop drinking. A new Scripps Research study shows that an anti-inflammatory molecule, already approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat autoimmune diseases, reduces excessive alcohol consumption in alcohol-dependent female mice.

29 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

Study links commercial cannabis markets to increased addiction

Removing criminal penalties for possessing cannabis for personal use, or introducing tightly controlled legalisation of cannabis, does not appear to increase levels of cannabis use.

17 Jun 2026

New USC clinical trial explores psilocybin for mental health

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, the Brain and Creativity Institute at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center have launched the University of Southern California's first study of psychedelic therapy.

16 Jun 2026

Social media overuse is linked to more self-reported memory problems in young adults

Problematic social media use was associated with more frequent self-reported everyday memory failures in 943 Spanish young adults aged 18 to 35. Everyday memory failures statistically accounted for much of the link between problematic social media use and both prospective and retrospective memory lapses.

15 Jun 2026

Trauma-related conditions drive deaths in women with HIV

Women with HIV most often die from preventable, trauma-related conditions like substance use and mental illness - not the virus itself. Yet, these leading causes are largely missing from official death records, according to new research by UC San Francisco.

12 Jun 2026

Written exposure therapy serves as scalable treatment for PTSD

JMIR Publications today released an article on a brief, scalable intervention for post-traumatic stress disorder in its News and Perspectives section. Authored by JMIR correspondent Candice Marie Sage, PhD, "Written Exposure Therapy as Transformative, Scalable Care for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" reports how Written Exposure Therapy (WET) can bridge the gap in accessing effective PTSD treatment.

12 Jun 2026

Genetic study links liver enzyme to compulsive cocaine addiction

Researchers at the University of California San Diego have completed a massive genetic study that identifies key biological drivers of cocaine addiction, uncovering a potential new target for treatment that resides in the liver rather than the brain.

11 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

Moderate alcohol consumption linked to premature death and chronic illness

Even what many Americans consider moderate drinking is linked to an increased risk of death, disability, and chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease, according to a new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.

9 Jun 2026