Study Shows Even Light Smoking Carries Serious Risks

If you're a person who smokes casually, maybe you light up a cigarette a few times a day in social settings, you probably think it's safe, but you may want to look at it again.  That's according to a Norwegian study of 43,000 men and women.  They found that smoking fewer than five cigarettes a day, commonly known as light smoking, triples the risk of dying of heart disease or lung cancer in men.  In women, the increased risk of lung cancer was five times greater.  Researchers looked at a 32 year period.  This is not a small study and it shows the concerns we must look into.  

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Mentally Quitting Smoking

There is no doubt that it is tough to kick the habit when it comes to cigarette smoking. If you ask 100 people how they stopped, the odds are quite strong you will get 100 different answers. But there is usually one consistent comment that comes across. It goes something like this. ‘I was so frustrated with smoking that I finally said, ‘The heck with it. I’m quitting.” It is clear that to finally stop smoking, a person needs to take a mental order to do it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the latest drugs, acupuncture, or whatever. You have to want to.

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Low-Tar Cigarettes May Be Linked to a Certain Form of Lung Cancer

The news that there may have been changes in the way certain cigarettes are formulated, and the suggestion that this could affect lung disease, is downright frightening.  According to a University of California researcher, up to 50% of our nation's lung cancer cases could be due to this.  The research is ongoing, but the thought is that a form of lung cancer called adenocarcinoma may be linked to so-called low-tar cigarettes that have chemicals called nitrosamines. Adenocarcinoma attacks small air sacs far deeper in the lungs.  The theory is that people who smoke low-tar cigarettes need to breathe in deeper.  

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Research on Genes and Cigarette Addiction

It could become one of the major developments of genetic research. Duke researchers believe that as many as 221 different gene variants play a role in cigarette addiction and the ability to quit. Researchers from Duke and the National Institute of Drug Abuse hope this may someday lead to a new tool for tailoring smoking cessation treatments to a patient’s individual genetic makeup. Researchers admit it isn’t entirely this simple. Certainly, the environment plays a role, but knowing how to manipulate or alter genes could be crucial.

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Depressed Adults Are Likely to Also Be Smokers

More than 40% of U.S. adults who have depression are also smokers, meaning people need help with both if they want to quit.  According to a U.S. Government survey published, it says that more than half of middle-aged men with depression were also smokers, while half of women under 40 who were depressed also smoked.  About 7% of U.S. adults had depression in the years 2005 through 2012.  Globally, tobacco kills about 5 million people a year and according to the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's a big deal.  On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than non-smokers.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cigarette smoking is responsible for about one in five deaths annually, or about 440,000 deaths per year.

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Women Are More Susceptible To Health Effects Of Smoking

Women are more susceptible to the health effects of smoking.  Women who smoke may develop severe lung disease at younger ages with lower amounts of smoking.  That's according to a new study.  Researchers in Norway compared 954 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder to 295 control subjects.  They found that women with COPD were, on average, younger than men who had smoked for fewer years suggesting that women may experience lung damage with overall lower levels of smoking.

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Smoking May Affect Memory

People who smoke during mid-life may be more likely than non-smokers to have a poor memory.  Researchers analyzed the smoking habits and memory and cognitive test results of over 5,000 civil servants in London, England, aged 35 to 55.  Those who were smokers had a higher risk of death than those who never smoked.  In addition, current smokers were more likely to have memory deficiencies than non-smokers, even age-adjusted for sex, socioeconomic status, or other health behaviors.  Those who were ex-smokers were also 30% less likely than current smokers to have vocabulary and language score problems.  

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Movies Influence Smoking In Young People

It is just the latest report to enforce a critical point that’s been made again and again since the 40′s. Young people who start smoking may be influenced to do so by movies they saw early in childhood. It doesn’t matter if it was Bette Davis or any of today’s present stars, when an actor or actress lights up, it influences kids. The latest study is from Dartmouth Medical School and it found that 80% of the exposure to smoking scenes in movies came through films rated G, PG, and PG-13. In this study, the researchers focused on more than 2,000 boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 12.

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Surprising Study of Nicotine Levels in Smokers’ Cars Versus Bars

There's new information in the journal Tobacco Control and it's reported from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health that nicotine levels in smokers' cars are almost twice of those in bars.  Researchers placed passive nicotine samplers in the cars of smokers, one in the front passenger seat and one in the back seat.  The estimate is that the nicotine concentrations were twice as high in smokers' cars and other public or private places that allow smoking like bars.  While opening the windows of the car certainly made a difference, it did not eliminate exposure to secondhand smoke.  So, with many restaurants and bars not allowing cigarette smoking, it could be your own car that is the most dangerous place, and to the tune of twice as much nicotine.  

We always appreciate your comments.

For more information, please go to www.123MyMD.com.   

Mentally Quitting Smoking

There is no doubt that it is tough to kick the habit when it comes to cigarette smoking. If you ask 100 people how they stopped, the odds are quite strong you will get 100 different answers. But there is usually one consistent comment that comes across. It goes something like this. “I was so frustrated with smoking that I finally said the heck with it. I’m quitting.” It is clear that to finally stop smoking, a person needs to take a mental order to do it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s the latest drugs, acupuncture, or whatever. You have to want to.

We always appreciate your comments.

For more information, please go to www.123MyMD.com.   

Is Being Fat Just as Bad as Smoking Cigarettes?

Could being fat be just as bad as smoking cigarettes?  A very interesting study from Sweden reports that men who were obese at age 18 had the same risk for premature death as those who were heavy smokers (more than ten cigarettes a day).  Those who were overweight at age 18 had the same risk for premature death as those who were less heavy smokers (that's 10 or fewer cigarettes per day).  The study followed 46,000 men from age 18 to roughly age 56.  Compared to those who were a normal weight at age 18, those who were obese had more than double the odds for premature death.  That's similar to heavy smokers.  Those who were overweight increased their risk by about one third.  Being obese and a heavy smoker increased the odds of premature death by five times.  This was statistically the same as being a heavy smoker or obese at age 18.  

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Cigar and Pipe Smoke Does Carry Health Risks

Back in medical school, we were told about the dangers of cigarette smoking, but pipe and cigar smoke were clearly seen as less harmful.  According to a study in the journal Nature, pipe and cigar smoke may be more harmful than once thought.  Researchers conducted a study to determine whether pipe and cigar smoking was associated with elevated cotinine levels.  Cotinine is the end product of tobacco and it can be detected in the urine.  They also looked at airflow to evaluate lung function.  Those who did not smoke cigarettes, but did smoke pipes or cigars were more likely to have airflow obstruction than those who never smoke.  Clearly, there is no free ride and I think that's the important point.  If you're thinking of abusing tobacco, you have to be concerned that there is an effect down the road.  

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Americans Are Not as Healthy as Europeans

This clearly is not good news. Americans are not as healthy as Europeans. We are more likely than Europeans to be diagnosed and treated for chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and cancer. The United States was compared with 10 European countries and there were some important findings that may help predict problems down the road. Americans are twice as likely to be obese. That’s twice as likely as Europeans. Also, more than 50% of Americans have a smoking history, while it’s only 40% in Europe. Now, there is a potential good side. The United States has better screening than Europe. If diseases are detected earlier, then they can be treated more effectively. The United States spends more on health care than any country in Europe, and I think that’s a very important point. We need to be more aware of what we’re spending, how we’re using it, and how effectively we can make it to help others.

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Smoking Rates in Teenage Girls

A major warning for family physicians, pediatricians, and adolescent health officials should be a warning for women as well. Doctors are being asked to pay special attention to whether or not teenage patients are smoking cigarettes, in particular, females. It seems to be growing in this group. If you think about it, if doctors are being told to look out for a problem, it means adults should as well. Why all the attention? Well, after steadily decreasing in the 90′s, adolescent smoking rates have increased. They’ve reached a level well above national goals. Part of the problem…it’s being dramatized in the media.

We always appreciate your comments. 

For more information, please go to www.123MyMD.com.

Depressed Adults Are Likely to Also Be Smokers

Depression and Smokers  More than 40% of U.S. adults who have depression are also smokers, meaning people need help with both if they want to quit.  According to a U.S. Government survey published, it says that more than half of middle-aged men with depression were also smokers, while half of women under 40 who were depressed also smoked.  About 7% of U.S. adults had depression in the years 2005 through 2008.  Globally, tobacco kills about 5 million people a year and according to the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it's a big deal.  On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than non-smokers.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says cigarette smoking is responsible for about one in five deaths annually, or about 440,000 deaths per year.