Smoking

If I were to ask you what you think the biggest contributor to preventable life-years lost in America is, you would probably say tobacco—it causes more than 480,000 deaths annually, with life expectancy for smokers being at least 10 years less than non-smokers. However, the number one spot goes to obesity, which results in 47 ...click here to read more

In rheumatoid arthritis (RA), smoking and excess weight reduces the improvement of symptoms brought on by treatment. Senior investigator Vivian Bykerk explained, “Early, aggressive treatment to achieve remission is the primary goal of therapy and can be best achieved early on when treating patients with newly diagnosed rheumatoid arthritis, as early disease control is associated ...click here to read more

Researchers have found that smoking in diabetes can take years off patients’ life. The study found that diabetic smokers are twice as likely to die prematurely, compared to smokers without diabetes. Dr. Joel Zonszein commented, “Smoking is bad for all, but even more in those with diabetes.” Not only was the risk of mortality higher ...click here to read more

A new study has found that black Americans have the highest risk of diabetes if they smoke a pack of cigarettes or more a day. Research lead Wendy White explained, “Smoking cessation should be strongly encouraged in blacks with risk factors for diabetes.” The researchers tracked health outcomes of nearly 3,000 black Americans. During the ...click here to read more

Cognitive decline in old age has been linked to smoking and heavy drinking. Smoking is becoming an increasingly common risk factor for dementia, so the researchers examined the association between smoking history and cognitive decline from midlife to older age. Data was collected from 5,099 men and 2,137 women with an average age of 56. ...click here to read more

Smoking causes the heart wall to thicken, which contributes to heart failure. When the walls of the heart become thick, the heart’s ability to properly pump out blood reduces. Over time, this leads to heart damage and, essentially, heart failure. The researchers looked at the hearts of 4,580 Americans who did not have any obvious ...click here to read more

Fewer Americans are dying from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) overall, but this trend has not been seen among black women and middle-aged patients, a new report states. Between 2000 and 2014, there was a 12 percent drop in progressive lung disease deaths, according to the CDC. The researchers suggest the findings are not surprising, ...click here to read more

Smoking can negatively impact your health in many different ways, including cholesterol. Having high cholesterol levels and smoking can be a dangerous combination for your heart. Your risk of a heart attack and stroke rises significantly if both these factors apply to you. Smoking damages your arteries and blood vessels, increasing the risk of cholesterol ...click here to read more

Meniere’s disease may be caused by fluid buildup in the inner ear along with risk factors for vascular disease in the brain, such as migraine, sleep apnea, and atherosclerosis. Meniere’s disease affects roughly three to five million Americans and causes repetitive violent attacks of dizziness, ringing in the ears, and hearing loss. Until now, its ...click here to read more

A new study found that quitting smoking will help you make at least two new friends. The researchers found that the longer a person went without smoking the more likely they were to start new friendships with other nonsmokers. Dr. Norman Edelman, senior medical consultant who was not involved in the study, commented, “I wouldn’t ...click here to read more

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) risk has been found to increase with smoking. The study found that smokers, or those who have smoked many cigarettes in their life, are at a greater risk for AMD, compared to non-smokers. AMD is a common eye disease among the aging population. In fact, it is the leading cause of ...click here to read more

A new study found that those who quit smoking also consume less alcohol. The researchers examined the data from nearly 6,300 smokers in England of which 144 noted they have tried to quit smoking. The researchers found that those who tried to cut on tobacco drank less alcohol, and were less likely to binge drink, ...click here to read more

According to a research study conducted at the Price Institute of Surgical Research, in Louisville, Kentucky, and published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, U.S. states that report the highest rates of Crohn’s disease (CD) also have high smoking rates. For the study, the researchers incorporated a linear regression analysis of national data. After analyzing ...click here to read more

In a recent study involving smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers observed that middle-aged and elderly men were at a higher risk of developing low bone density, osteoporosis, and vertebrae fractures than their women counterparts. The study, published online in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society, used smoking history and COPD as ...click here to read more