http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/smoking/ How smoking affects health. Read about the latest research on smoking, second-hand smoke, methods for quitting smoking and more. en-us Sat, 26 May 2012 14:05:01 EDT Sat, 26 May 2012 14:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/health_medicine/smoking/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120520133614.htm A new study shows that the health risks associated with exposure to environmental tobacco smoke among children whose parents smoke persist well beyond childhood, independent of whether or not they end up becoming smokers. Sun, 20 May 2012 13:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120520133614.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510122711.htm A citywide ban on public smoking in Colorado led to significant decreases in maternal smoking and preterm births, providing the first evidence in the U.S. that such interventions can impact maternal and fetal health. Thu, 10 May 2012 12:27:27 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120510122711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120507210042.htm Fear of putting on weight is one of the major reasons why smokers do not give up their habit. The reasons for this weight gain are believed to be in part due to metabolic changes in the body, but until now precise details of these changes were not known. New work had shown that changes in insulin secretion could be related to weight gain after smoking cessation.  Mon, 07 May 2012 21:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120507210042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120503103448.htm Women who smoke and carry specific variations in the genes that impact their metabolism are at higher risk of developing hot flashes in comparison with smokers who do not carry these gene variants, according to a recent study. Thu, 03 May 2012 10:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120503103448.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120501085653.htm Despite longstanding recommendations for children with asthma to avoid tobacco smoke, many youths are still exposed to secondhand smoke and their health suffers because of it, according to a newstudy. Tue, 01 May 2012 08:56:56 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120501085653.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120426134924.htm Women who smoke in pregnancy may be more likely to have a child with high-functioning autism, such as Asperger’s Disorder, according to preliminary findings. Thu, 26 Apr 2012 13:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120426134924.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423142842.htm New research confirms an association between smoking and a reduced risk for a rare benign tumor near the brain, but the addition of smokeless tobacco to the analysis suggests nicotine is not the protective substance. Mon, 23 Apr 2012 14:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120423142842.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120420105726.htm Omega-3 fatty acids may help to reduce the physical harm caused by smoking, according to a new study. Fri, 20 Apr 2012 10:57:57 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120420105726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419132503.htm Anti-tobacco television advertising helps reduce adult smoking, according to a new study -- but some ads may be more effective than others. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 13:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419132503.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419090711.htm Ninety-six per cent of women who attended a preconception clinic before undergoing IVF had three or more lifestyle problems and risk factors, according to a new study. Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:07:07 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120419090711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418203517.htm Half of young adult tobacco smokers also have smoked marijuana in the last 30 days, according to a recent Facebook-based survey, indicating a greater prevalence of marijuana and tobacco co-use among smokers age 18-25 than previously reported. Wed, 18 Apr 2012 20:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418203517.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417221711.htm Electronic cigarettes - battery-operated devices that provide nicotine via inhaled vapor - may help the memory as well as ease cravings as smokers quit their habit, new research suggests. Tue, 17 Apr 2012 22:17:17 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120417221711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403124252.htm Obesity adds more to health care costs than smoking does, reports a new study. Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403124252.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326160827.htm Smoking alters the impact of a schizophrenia risk gene. Scientists have demonstrated that healthy people who carry this risk gene and smoke process acoustic stimuli in a similarly deficient way as patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, the impact is all the stronger the more the person smokes. Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:08:08 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326160827.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120322100211.htm Mothers' exposure during pregnancy to a class of air pollutants called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) can lead to behavioral problems in their children. PAH are released to air during incomplete combustion of fossil fuel such as diesel, gasoline, coal, and other organic material. The study is the first report of associations between child attentional and behavioral problems among school-age children and two complementary measures of prenatal PAH exposure. Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120322100211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120322100207.htm More than 75 percent of fourth-graders in urban and rural settings have measurable levels of a nicotine breakdown product in their saliva that documents their second-hand smoke exposure, researchers report. Thu, 22 Mar 2012 10:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120322100207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321172354.htm The third most deadly disease in the US, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), appears to be partly driven by the action of immune cells circulating in the blood entering into the tissues of the lungs. Scientists have discovered that this key process begins in the blood vessels around the large airways in the center of the lung. The discovery helps clarify how smoking can bring about this severe respiratory condition. Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321172354.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321132101.htm Scientists have shown that a key protein involved in cell function and regulation is stopped by a substance present in cigarette smoke. The authors found a cancer-causing agent called reactive oxygen species present in the gaseous phase of cigarette smoke that has the ability to inhibit normal cell function. Exposure to secondhand smoke impaired the function of the sodium pump, necessary for healthy cell regulation. Wed, 21 Mar 2012 13:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321132101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120319134204.htm When researchers deplete a smoker's self control, smoking a cigarette may restore self-control, new research suggests. Mon, 19 Mar 2012 13:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120319134204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120306181102.htm The introduction of national, comprehensive smoke-free legislation in Scotland is linked with significant falls in preterm delivery and small for dates (gestational age) infants according to a new study. Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120306181102.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120306072912.htm People who smoke only at weekends cause as much damage to their memory as those who smoke on a daily basis, according to new research. Tue, 06 Mar 2012 07:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120306072912.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120219135553.htm Substituting smokeless tobacco products can save smokers' lives, and there is a scientific foundation that proves it, according to one researcher whose work shows that smokers can greatly reduce their risk of disease and death by replacing smoking products with e-cigarettes or modern, spit-free smokeless tobacco. Sun, 19 Feb 2012 13:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120219135553.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215190138.htm A medication commonly used to help people stop smoking may have an unanticipated positive side effect for an entirely different vice: drinking alcohol. A new study finds that varenicline, sold as Chantix, increases the negative effects of alcohol and therefore could hold promise as a treatment for alcoholism. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:01:01 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215190138.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123357.htm According to a new study, smoking causes the body to turn against its own helpful bacteria, leaving smokers more vulnerable to disease. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120215123357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213185639.htm Smoking bans in public/workplaces don't drive smokers to light up more at home, suggests a study of four European countries with smoke-free legislation. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 18:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120213185639.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208132547.htm Mark Twain said, "Giving up smoking is the easiest thing in the world. I know because I've done it thousands of times." Many smokers would agree that it's difficult to stay away from cigarettes. A new study now suggests that low dopamine levels that occur as a result of withdrawal from smoking actually promote the relapse to smoking. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 13:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120208132547.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206174211.htm A new analysis has found that a state ballot initiative to increase the cigarette tax would create about 12,000 jobs and nearly $2 billion in new economic activity in California. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 17:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206174211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206164624.htm Smoking in men appears to be associated with more rapid cognitive decline, according to a new report. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120206164624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203141137.htm If the proven long-term benefits of smoking cessation are not enough to motivate young adults to stop smoking, a new study shows that 18- to 24-year olds who stop smoking for at least two weeks report substantially fewer respiratory symptoms, especially coughing. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 14:11:11 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120203141137.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130184532.htm Mothers-to-be who are both overweight and smoke during their pregnancy risk damaging their baby's developing heart, according to new research. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:45:45 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120130184532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184150.htm The life expectancy of a person born in Japan is among the highest in the world (82.9 years) yet tobacco smoking and high blood pressure are still the major risk factors for death among adults in Japan, emphasizing the need to reduce tobacco smoking and to improve ongoing programs designed to help people manage multiple cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure, according to a new study. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:41:41 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124184150.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094747.htm A new analysis has found that a substantial number of lung and colorectal cancer patients continue to smoke after being diagnosed. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:47:47 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094747.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120184605.htm Quitting smoking is never easy. However, when you're poor and uneducated, kicking the habit for good is doubly hard, according to a new study. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:46:46 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120184605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193220.htm A large population-based study in Sweden indicates that there is no link between smoking during pregnancy and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:32:32 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112193220.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112100627.htm Sufferers of smoking-related lung diseases could have their debilitating symptoms reduced following the discovery of a potential new treatment. Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120112100627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111090609.htm Smokers are more likely to have molecular features of cancerization in the large airway epithelium. Smokers with COPD had significant changes in the small airway epithelium, new research has shown. New findings could lead to development of a diagnostic test. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 09:06:06 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120111090609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110163444.htm Using marijuana carries legal risks, but the consequences of occasionally lighting up do not include long-term loss of lung function, according to a new study. In the study in which participants had repeated measurements of lung function over 20 years, occasional and low cumulative marijuana use was not associated with adverse effects on pulmonary function. Tue, 10 Jan 2012 16:34:34 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120110163444.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109211815.htm Using a nicotine patch may help improve mild memory loss in older adults, according to a new study. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:18:18 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109211815.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109145725.htm Nicotine replacement therapies designed to help people stop smoking, specifically nicotine patches and nicotine gum, do not appear to be effective in helping smokers quit long-term, even when combined with smoking cessation counseling, according to a new study. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 14:57:57 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109145725.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120107151423.htm New research indicates that including comprehensive tobacco cessation benefits in Medicaid insurance coverage can result in substantial savings for Medicaid programs. The study found that every dollar spent in program costs resulted in an average program savings of $3.12, which represents a $2.12 return on investment. Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120107151423.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120106164921.htm A new analysis of tobacco industry documents shows that Philip Morris USA manipulated data on the effects of additives in cigarettes, including menthol, obscuring actual toxicity levels and increasing the risk of heart, cancer and other diseases for smokers, according to researchers. Fri, 06 Jan 2012 16:49:49 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120106164921.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105144207.htm Working with mice, scientists have successfully used a commonly prescribed blood pressure medicine, losartan (Cozaar), to prevent almost all of the lung damage caused from two months of exposure to cigarette smoke. The treatment specifically targeted lung tissue breakdown, airway wall thickening, inflammation and lung over-expansion. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:42:42 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105144207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105142451.htm Smokers planning to kick the habit may have more success if they begin using a cessation medication several weeks before they actually try to quit. Thu, 05 Jan 2012 14:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120105142451.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120103135600.htm From a health care perspective, the best cigarette is no cigarette, but for the millions of people who try to quit smoking every year, researchers may have found a way to make cigarette smoking less toxic. Tue, 03 Jan 2012 13:56:56 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120103135600.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214125906.htm Cigarette and alcohol use by eighth, 10th and 12th-graders are at their lowest point since the Monitoring the Future survey began polling teenagers in 1975, according to this year's survey results. However, this positive news is tempered by a slowing rate of decline in teen smoking as well as continued high rates of abuse of other tobacco products (e.g., hookahs, small cigars, smokeless tobacco), marijuana and prescription drugs. Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:59:59 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111214125906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213120833.htm Life without cigarettes is not all doom and gloom. In fact, successful quitters are more satisfied with their lives and feel healthier, both one year and three years afterwards, than those who continue to smoke. That's according to new research by Dr. Megan Piper, from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in the US, and her team. Their work looks at whether quitting smoking can improve psychological well-being. Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:08:08 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111213120833.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208173714.htm Women who have non-melanoma skin cancers are more likely to have smoked cigarettes compared to women without skin cancer, said researchers. Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:37:37 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208173714.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128182428.htm Nicotine replacement therapy and smoking cessation intervention programs are associated with positive outcomes among current smokers, according to new studies. Mon, 28 Nov 2011 18:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111128182428.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122133029.htm Long-term coffee consumption may be associated with a reduced risk for endometrial cancer, according to a recent study. Tue, 22 Nov 2011 13:30:30 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111122133029.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102190400.htm Cigarettes and alcohol serve as gateway drugs, which people use before progressing to the use of marijuana, cocaine and other illicit substances; this progression is called the "gateway sequence" of drug use. Latest findings provide the first molecular explanation for the gateway sequence. They show that nicotine causes specific changes in the brain that make it more vulnerable to cocaine addiction -- a discovery made by using a novel mouse model. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:04:04 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102190400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102190026.htm The poor safety profile of the smoking-cessation drug varenicline (Chantix) makes it unsuitable for first-line use, according to a new study. Varenicline, which already carries a "black box warning" from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, showed a substantially increased risk of reported depression or suicidal behavior compared to other smoking-cessation treatments, according to researchers. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 19:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102190026.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102161259.htm A landmark study in mice identifies a biological mechanism that could help explain how tobacco products could act as gateway drugs, increasing a person's future likelihood of abusing cocaine and perhaps other drugs as well, according to researchers. The study is the first to show that nicotine might prime the brain to enhance the behavioral effects of cocaine. Wed, 02 Nov 2011 16:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111102161259.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031115229.htm Targeted brain stimulation increases cigarette cravings, a new study has found, which may lead to new treatments. Cues such as watching someone else smoke, elicit craving and may provoke relapse. There are many methods that smokers use in an attempt to reduce their craving for cigarettes, including efficacious pharmacologic treatments such as nicotine patches, hypnosis and acupuncture. Scientists have long suspected that these diverse approaches might work through the reduction of activity in a brain circuit that is responsible for cigarette craving. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031115229.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031114943.htm Cigarette smoking appears to impair pancreatic duct cell function -- even for those who quit -- putting all smokers at risk of compromised digestive function regardless of age, gender and alcohol intake, according to the results of a new study. Mon, 31 Oct 2011 11:49:49 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111031114943.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027152039.htm Despite having the second-lowest smoking rate in the nation, California is still home to nearly 2.5 million children under the age of 12 who are exposed to secondhand smoke, according to a new policy brief. Among the most affected are African-American children, 12.6 percent of whom live in homes where smoking is permitted, three times the rate of any other socioeconomic group. Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:20:20 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111027152039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025210917.htm While smoking remains legal, the number of smokers is never going to fall significantly, argues a public health doctor. Tue, 25 Oct 2011 21:09:09 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025210917.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025091644.htm A simple blood test could someday quantify a smoker's lung toxicity and danger of heart disease, researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found. Tue, 25 Oct 2011 09:16:16 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111025091644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111024213403.htm UK doctors are willing to cite alcohol as a cause of death on death certificates, but not smoking, for fear of stigmatizing the deceased, new research from the UK shows. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 21:34:34 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111024213403.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111021162247.htm Among known risk factors for hepatocellular cancer, smoking, obesity, and heavy alcohol consumption, along with chronic hepatitis B and C infection, contribute to a large share of the disease burden in Europe, according to a recent cohort study. Fri, 21 Oct 2011 16:22:22 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111021162247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012113355.htm If you smoke cigarettes, you have more in common with someone who has cystic fibrosis than you think. A new research report shows that smoking cigarettes affects the lungs in a way that is very similar to cystic fibrosis, a life threatening disease affecting the lungs and other organs. Wed, 12 Oct 2011 11:33:33 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111012113355.htm