E-cigarettes might make for a healthier alternative to smoking after all, according to the results of a first-of-its-kind long-term study. Researchers compared the intake of potentially harmful chemicals in e-cigarette users to that of people using nicotine patches and combustible (regular) cigarettes. Their findings suggest that the switch to e-cigarettes significantly reduced the subjects’ carcinogenic […]
Tag: smoking
More frequent vaping among teens linked to higher risk of cigarette smoking
There’s a link between e-cigarettes to combustible ones when it comes to teenage smoking habits, a new study found. Researchers assessed smoking habits of a group of teenagers over six months. They found that teenagers who vaped or used e-cigarettes were smoking more frequently and often switched to traditional tobacco products. This association was particularly […]
E-cigarette flavourings linked to respiratory disease
Tests of 51 flavours of e-cigarettes have found 47 have chemicals which have been linked to respiratory disease. Those tested included flavours such as Cupcake and Cotton Candy, which are targeted towards younger consumers. Diacetyl, which is considered a respiratory hazard by the Flavor and Extract Manufacturers Association of the USA, was found in more […]
Pregnant smokers quit…if the money is right
Pregnant women are more likely to quit smoking when they are offered a financial incentive according to a new study. The researchers found the financial incentive was cost-effective for the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, which determines cost-effectiveness in a similar method to other high-income countries. In a randomized controlled trial the researchers […]
Anti-smoking legislation reduced children’s hospital admissions in Britain
Smoking legislation reduced child hospital admissions by 11,000 each year in England. Researchers analyzed the the British Hospital Episode Statistics database to analyze over 1,500,000 general hospital admissions for children aged from 0 to 14 years, between 2001-2012 from across England. They found that the legislation resulted in an immediate decline in admissions for lower […]
The Cost of Smoking: A Manitoba Study
Cigarette smoking costs Manitoba’s public healthcare system an extra $244 million a year, according to a new study from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy. The report also shows that the percentage of Manitobans who smoke is steadily dropping. In 1989, 22% of Manitobans smoked daily and 65% were casual or former smokers. By 2011, these […]
Quitting is good for the brain
People who quit smoking may reduce or halt the thinning of the brain’s cortex. A new study has found that the cortex of the brain, which plays a key role in memory, attention, thought and language, is known to thin with age and this feature is used as one of the biological markers for cognitive […]
The Trans-Pacific Partnership and Public Health
A group of doctors has published an editorial raising concerns about the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) – a trade agreement between Canada and eleven other Pacific Rim countries – and the effect it could have on the public health system. In particular the authors cite possible changes to intellectual property rules that could impact medications or […]
Team sports could help smokers quit
A new study reveals that adolescents who practice team sports have a better ability to quit smoking, while those who are watching their weight have a harder time. Researchers followed the smoking and lifestyle habits of 620 high school students in the Montreal region between 1999 and 2005. They found that the male students, older […]
For smokers, a picture is worth 1000 words
Computerized tomography (CT) scans of smoker’s lungs could be a powerful tool to help them quit, according to a new study. Epidemiology results from 14,621 smokers who received CT scans as part of the U.S. National Lung Screening trial and were followed up years later showed that the more serious the screening result, the greater […]
