Smoking: Sooner you quit the longer you’ll live

Planning to quit smoking? Then do it before you turn 70. A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, found that people aged 70 or older currently smoking were more than three times more likely to die than never-smokers, while former smokers were less likely to die the sooner they quit. In the U.S., the number of individuals aged 70 years and older is expected to increase from 29.2 million (9.3 percent of the population) in 2012, to 63.6 million individuals (15.9percent) in 2050. “U.S. adults aged…

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Red Wine Before Smoking Can Offset Damage to Blood Vessels

A glass or two of red wine before lighting up a cigarette can counteract some of the short-term negative effects of smoking on blood vessels, a study says. “The aim of our study was to investigate the acute vascular effects of red wine consumption prior to ‘occasional lifestyle smoking’ in healthy individuals,” explained lead investigator Viktoria Schwarz from University of Saarland, Homburg. “We found evidence that preconsumption of red wine prevented most of the vascular injury caused by smoking,” Schwarz noted. Drinking red wine is widely regarded as protective against…

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US Smoking Hits Record Low, But Cancer Deaths Still High

The number of Americans who smoke has dropped to a record low, but 40 per cent of cancer cases in the country are still linked to tobacco use, a US government report has found. A report released this week by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed that each year between 2009 and 2013, about 660,000 people in the US were diagnosed with, and about 343,000 people died from a cancer related to tobacco use, Xinhua news agency reported. The agency noted that smoking does not just…

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Smoking of Hookahs to be Monitored as Part of Anti-Tobacco Move: WHO FCTC

Aiming to curb consumption of tobacco among the youth at an early stage, the World Health Organisation Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) has urged its 180 member nations to monitor waterpipe (Indian hookah) tobacco use through a national surveillance system to cover all age groups. Strengthening the policies against tobacco consumption, the FCTC is also discussing banning the use of flavourings in waterpipe tobacco products. The FCTC — the world’s highest convention against anti-tobacco policies — is brainstorming and focusing on inclusion of awareness against waterpipe use in…

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Smoking a pack a day causes 150 mutations in every lung cell, research shows

Smoking a pack a day causes 150 mutations in every lung cell, research shows (Getty Images) Scientists have found that smoking a pack a day of cigarettes can cause 150 damaging changes to a smoker’s lung cells each year. The findings come from a study of the devastating genetic damage, or mutations, caused by smoking in various organs in the body. Publishing in the journal Science on Thursday, the researchers said the findings show a direct link between the number of cigarettes smoked in a lifetime and the number of…

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Smoking cigarettes may change your DNA permanently

Smoking cigarettes may change your DNA permanently (Picture Courtesy-Shutterstock Images) Smoking is one of the biggest culprits causing fatal diseases such as cancer and heart disease. But what most of us don’t know is that smoking has the capability to change our genes. Not only that, it is said to have a lasting impact on our DNA. This also goes on to explain why it is held responsible for a host of serious health issues. Researchers at the US National Institute of Environmental Health evaluated test results of approximately 16,000…

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