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.

Many young parents believe that electronic cigarettes are less harmful than regular cigarettes

Many young parents are using electronic cigarettes, and despite any evidence for safety, the vast majority of young adults who have used the devices believe they are less harmful than regular cigarettes, according to research to be presented Sunday, May 4, at the Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) annual meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

5 May 2014

Study: Electronic cigarette "vapors" may worsen acute respiratory diseases among youth

Electronic cigarette "vapors" are made of small particles containing chemicals that may cause or worsen acute respiratory diseases, including asthma and bronchitis, among youth, according to a new study by RTI International.

30 Apr 2014

FDA proposes new regulations for tobacco products

The American Thoracic Society applauds the Food and Drug Administration for moving forward with proposed rules to regulate all tobacco products, including e-cigarettes and cigars. This long awaited proposed rule is an important next step toward reducing the death and disease caused by tobacco use in the United States.

26 Apr 2014

FDA proposes rule to include e-cigarettes under its tobacco authority

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently proposed a new rule to regulate additional tobacco products as part of its implementation of the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.

25 Apr 2014

Self-expanding activities may help you quit smoking

If you are trying to quit smoking one method to incorporate is to do new, exciting "self-expanding" activities that can help with nicotine craving. This is the take-home message from a new study published online in PLOS ONE by a team of researchers including Arthur Aron, PhD, a Research Professor in the Department of Psychology at Stony Brook University.

22 Apr 2014

CDC study finds dramatic increase in e-cigarette-related calls to poison centers

E-cigarettes, and liquid refill containers featuring bright colors, sweet-smelling flavors and dangerous doses of nicotine, are generating rising numbers of emergency calls to poison control centers around the nation, according to a study published today by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

4 Apr 2014

Researchers examine risks and benefits of E-cigarettes

Some believe e-cigarettes are less harmful than smoking tobacco since e-cig vapor doesn't contain the chemicals found in tobacco smoke.

3 Apr 2014

Concerns over potential health risks of using e-cigarettes gaining momentum

With sales of electronic cigarettes, or "e-cigarettes," on the rise and expected to hit $1.5 billion this year, concerns over potential health risks of using the trendy devices are also gaining momentum and political clout. An article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly magazine of the American Chemical Society, delves into what scientists and regulators are doing about e-cigarettes, which are now being cleverly marketed under more appealing names such as hookah pens and vape pipes.

28 Mar 2014

Longer looks: Exercise to treat depression; crowdsourcing treatment decisions; nitroglycerin shortage

Depression is the most common mental illness - affecting a staggering 25 percent of Americans - but a growing body of research suggests that one of its best cures is cheap and ubiquitous.

28 Mar 2014

Researchers evaluate exposure to snuff smoke in nonsmokers after launch of second law

Researchers of the Tobaco Control Unit of the Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO) and the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) evaluated exposure to snuff smoke in nonsmokers before the entry into force of the first Spanish smoking ban and after the launch of the second law (2011 ) in the city of Barcelona.

19 Mar 2014

Compound from "third-hand smoke" damages DNA and potentially cause cancer

Leftover cigarette smoke that clings to walls and furniture is a smelly nuisance, but now research suggests that it could pose a far more serious threat, especially to young children who put toys and other smoke-affected items into their mouths.

18 Mar 2014

Social pressures rather than physical dangers may restrict e-cigarette use, says university professor

As part of the Psychology Invited Speakers Seminar Series at the University of Leicester, Professor Jason Hughes from the University's Department of Sociology will today argue that e-cigarettes, which are currently unregulated throughout the United Kingdom, will soon face legislation that will restrict and ban them - and that concerns about social dangers, more than physical dangers to health, will be the cause of it.

17 Mar 2014

Viewpoints: No reason to delay health law; GOP may need an alternative message; shrinking abortion options

HealthCare.gov is working better, so the technical barriers to pushing people into new plans aren't as high. The law, meanwhile, attempts to establish a norm that all Americans should have coverage of a certain quality and comprehensiveness. In general and over time, this is good for them and for the system as a whole.

11 Mar 2014

Research: Expanded smoking cessation benefits should give more people opportunity to quit

People on Medicaid in the U.S. are 68 percent more likely to smoke than the general population. New research in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine suggests that expanded smoking cessation benefits offered under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) should give more people the opportunity to quit.

7 Mar 2014

E-cigarettes: New route to conventional smoking and nicotine addiction for teenagers

E-cigarettes, promoted as a way to quit regular cigarettes, may actually be a new route to conventional smoking and nicotine addiction for teenagers, according to a new UC San Francisco study.

7 Mar 2014

Study: 55% of women are passive smokers due to exposure to tobacco smoke

As shown in a study carried out by researchers at 13 research centres in Asturias, Gipuzkoa, Sabadell and Valencia, over half of non-smoking pregnant women, 55%, are passive smokers.

5 Mar 2014

Young adult smokers may experience changes in structures of brains due to cigarette smoking

The young, it turns out, smoke more than any other age group in America. Unfortunately, the period of life ranging from late adolescence to early adulthood is also a time when the brain is still developing.

5 Mar 2014

Viewpoints: Frightening seniors; regulating e-cigarettes; waiting for black lung drugs

The Obama administration's proposed cuts to Medicare Advantage plans - the private insurance plans that cover almost 30 percent of all Medicare beneficiaries - are fair and reasonable. As it happens, they are also mandated by law. Yet Republicans, sensing a campaign issue, are telling older and disabled Americans that the administration is "raiding Medicare Advantage to pay for Obamacare." The health insurance industry, for its part, is warning that enrollees will suffer higher premiums, lower benefits and fewer choices among doctors if the cuts go into force (3/1).

4 Mar 2014

ClearWay Minnesota launches new version of QUITPLAN Services for Minnesotans

ClearWay Minnesota launched a new version of QUITPLAN Services, the free cessation program available to any Minnesotan who wants to quit tobacco. The new services now include free access to text messages, email support, a downloadable quit guide and free "starter kits," which provide a two-week supply of nicotine patches, gum or lozenges to help tobacco users quit.

3 Mar 2014

Study: Rising prices is the best way to tackle tobacco-related diseases

A recent study finds that rising prices is, by far, the best way to tackle tobacco-related diseases while ignoring tobacco industry arguments that higher taxes would affect state revenues.

28 Feb 2014