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Tobacco control and healthier diets are key to cutting heart deaths

Encouraging everyone to stop smoking and eat healthier is four times more effective at reducing heart deaths than current government initiatives that target patients who already have heart problems, finds a study published online by the BMJ today

16 Aug 2005

Enzyme called matriptase, when left to its own devices, can cause cance

Scientists at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) and colleagues report in animal studies that a single, scissor-like enzyme called matriptase, when left to its own devices, can cause cancer.

16 Aug 2005

Nicotine patch dosage can be adjusted to provide more effective treatment for smokers with a history of alcoholism

Tobacco-caused disease is the leading cause of death for patients with alcoholism, but a study led by The Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center brings hope to non-depressed, recovering alcoholics who also smoke - individualized nicotine patch therapy. The findings were published in the July issue of Journal of Studies on Alcohol.

15 Aug 2005

Young people in the UK report little difficulty in obtaining cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs

Reviewing several recent surveys of young people, the authors note that underage smokers can acquire cigarettes easily, often from friends and relatives. Most regular smokers aged 12-15 also say they buy cigarettes from shops.

11 Aug 2005

Feeling depressed and fatigued does not increase a person's risk for cancer

...according to a new study. Severely exhausted people, however, do engage in behavior that is associated with a higher cancer risk.

8 Aug 2005

NicStic - world's first smokeless and tobacco-free cigarette to go on sale

According to Swissmedic, the Swiss Agency for Therapeutic Products, the NicStic is not a medicinal product and the way has been cleared for its commercial production.

4 Aug 2005

Drug use among Indiana youth sees biggest drop in years

A new report on alcohol, tobacco and other drug use by the Indiana Prevention Resource Center at Indiana University Bloomington demonstrates a significant downward trend in youth drug use and includes the agency's first compilation of data concerning methamphetamine use and gambling by sixth- through 12th-grade students.

2 Aug 2005

Tobacco industry is continuing its targeted marketing to teens via candy-flavored cigarettes

Advertising and promotion for these products uses hip-hop imagery, attractive women, and other imagery to appeal to youth in similar ways that Joe Camel did a decade ago.

2 Aug 2005

Smoking during pregnancy linked to childrens' anti-social behaviour

It has been well documented that smoking during pregnancy can harm the developing baby, but now, according to researchers, women who smoke during pregnancy may increase the risk of their child displaying anti-social behaviour.

2 Aug 2005

Exposure to second-hand smoke during pregnancy can be just as detrimental to a developing fetus as primary exposure through maternal smoking

In a study published in the online journal BMC Pediatrics, Stephen G. Grant, Ph.D., associate professor of environmental and occupational health, reports that both active maternal smoking and secondary maternal exposure result in similarly increased rates of genetic mutation that are basically indistinguishable.

26 Jul 2005

Unprecedented industry-backed laws limit public safety

Two laws recently passed by Congress with strong industry backing have had a chilling effect on government efforts to protect public health, according to a UCSF study.

26 Jul 2005

Cancer survivors initiate diet, exercise, and other beneficial lifestyle changes following a cancer diagnosis

An analysis of more than 100 studies of cancer survivors shows that many survivors initiate diet, exercise, and other beneficial lifestyle changes following a cancer diagnosis, but that those who are male, older, and less educated are less likely to adopt such changes. The term "cancer survivor" refers to a person who has been diagnosed with cancer.

25 Jul 2005

Nonsmokers report better health and fewer symptoms of depression than smokers

People who have successfully quit smoking cigarettes are more likely to have visited a trusted health care provider and to report good mental health than current smokers, according to a recent study.

25 Jul 2005

Survey shows lead, tobacco exposure may be down in U.S., but blood and urine samples, awash with chemicals

According to the latest U.S. government survey on chemical exposures, levels of lead have dropped dramatically, exposure to second-hand smoke is down and most women are not carrying unsafe levels of mercury.

23 Jul 2005

Male lung cancer deaths are now falling in most EU countries

Among men, lung cancer deaths are now falling in most EU countries, including all new member states from central and eastern Europe, but they are still rising among women, find researchers in this week’s BMJ.

21 Jul 2005

Food subsidies in Poland has led to a drastic drop in deaths from coronary heart disease

In 1991 the Polish government cut subsidies for saturated fats - i.e. from dairy and animal sources. Researchers examined how this affected diet in the general population, and whether there were any changes to death rates from heart disease.

21 Jul 2005

Smokers believe light or herbal cigarettes are less harmful

Nearly one-fourth of cigarette smokers believe that so-called reduced-exposure tobacco products - such as "light," herbal or reduced nicotine cigarettes - are less harmful to their health than conventional cigarettes, a new study finds. However, such beliefs are not backed up by existing evidence, according to the study's authors.

19 Jul 2005

Smokers who give up are much less likely to lose their teeth prematurely

Dental researchers at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, observed a group of cigarette smokers with chronic gum disease over one year and found some symptoms were more likely to improve in the people who quit during the study period.

18 Jul 2005

New treatment option for bad breath

More than 90 million Americans can sigh comfortably because of new relief for their bad breath. Dental experts today revealed research highlighting a new treatment option that can eliminate halitosis or chronic bad breath at the Academy of General Dentistry's (AGD) 53rd Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

18 Jul 2005

Mesothelioma may be caused by exposure to ultramafic rock

Everyday exposure to naturally occurring asbestos increases the risk of developing malignant mesothelioma, according to a study by UC Davis researchers.

13 Jul 2005