Smoking Cessation News and Research

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Researchers explore brain activity linking nicotine withdrawal and pain sensitivity

Abstinent smokers experience increased pain sensitivity during withdrawal, to the point that they often require more pain relief after surgery.

8 Dec 2025

Smoking fewer cigarettes does not eliminate cardiovascular disease risk

In a study funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, new research from Johns Hopkins Medicine adds to existing evidence that smoking fewer cigarettes does not eliminate cardiovascular disease risk, and quitting entirely is the most effective strategy for improving health.

5 Dec 2025

Study shows glial cells actively shape addictive responses to nicotine

Nicotine addiction remains one of the most persistent public health challenges worldwide, driven by changes in the brain that reinforce repeated use and make quitting extremely difficult.

4 Dec 2025

Even one cigarette a day harms the heart at every level

Smoking elevates heart disease and mortality risks. Cessation initiates a powerful recovery, reducing risks significantly within two decades.

21 Nov 2025

Rising youth e-cigarette use threatens children’s health and human rights

Exposing children to e-cigarettes compromises their human rights. These products should be regulated in a way that puts children's best interests first and protects them from the harms associated with nicotine consumption in all its forms, argue experts in The BMJ today.

12 Nov 2025

Self-guided hypnosis offers safe relief from menopausal hot flashes

Can a simple daily audio hypnosis session help women find relief from one of menopause's most disruptive symptoms – hot flashes – without medication? A new clinical trial led by Baylor University's Gary R. Elkins, Ph.D., professor of psychology and neuroscience and director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory, suggests it can.

11 Nov 2025

Study reveals double trouble for peripheral arterial disease patients with AFib

New research from Intermountain Health in Salt Lake City finds that patients diagnosed with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) who also have atrial fibrillation (AFib) face a significantly higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).

10 Nov 2025

Action needed to fix gender gap in cardiac rehab

Addressing barriers to cardiac rehab for women is essential. The AHA's guidelines focus on enhancing access and promoting effective heart health strategies.

5 Nov 2025

Improving tobacco cessation care for people living with HIV

People living with HIV who smoke are currently more likely to die from lung cancer than from HIV-related causes. Two cancer control researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina's Hollings Cancer Center are setting out to change that.

31 Oct 2025

Prescription drug advertising proves more effective in reducing smoking rates

A new peer-reviewed study in the INFORMS journal Marketing Science finds that direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising for prescription smoking-cessation drugs meaningfully reduces cigarette use. At the same time, the research found that advertising for over the counter (OTC) nicotine products does not reduce cigarette use.

22 Oct 2025

Review reveals how paternal lifestyle shapes sperm epigenetics and offspring health

A new review in Clinical Epigenetics synthesises growing evidence that paternal lifestyle and environmental exposures such as diet, obesity, smoking, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and stress alter sperm epigenetic marks (DNA methylation, histone retention, and small non-coding RNAs).

17 Oct 2025

Study provides a roadmap for how health systems can improve lung cancer screening rates

Lung cancer screening might be the best-kept secret in health care today. Only about 16 percent of those who are eligible in the U.S. get screened for lung cancer, but a study coming out in NEJM Catalyst on Wednesday provides a roadmap for how health systems can improve those numbers.

15 Oct 2025

Keensight Capital acquires majority stake in Bedfont® Scientific Ltd., a global leader in non-invasive breath analysis devices

Keensight Capital (“Keensight”), one of the leading private equity managers dedicated to pan-European Growth Buyou investments, today announced it has acquired a majority stake in Bedfont® Scientific Ltd. (“Bedfont”), which designs and manufactures non-invasive breath analysis medical devices.

From Bedfont® Scientific Ltd 15 Oct 2025

Quitting smoking linked to slower memory decline in midlife and older adults

The study, published in The Lancet Healthy Longevity, looked at data from 9,436 people aged 40 or over (with an average age of 58) in 12 countries, comparing cognitive test results among people who quit smoking with those of a matched control group who kept smoking.

13 Oct 2025

Quitting smoking after cancer diagnosis sharply improves survival, study finds

Postdiagnosis smoking cessation was linked to significantly longer overall survival among cancer patients across all stages, based on real-world electronic health record data. Despite clear survival benefits, only one in five smokers quit within six months of diagnosis, highlighting missed opportunities for intervention.

13 Oct 2025