Smoking bans in public places might protect more than the lungs of nonsmokers, with new research suggesting a beneficial effect on blood pressure. “We found that nonsmoking adults in the study who lived in areas with smoke-free laws in restaurants, bars or workplaces had lower systolic [top number] blood pressure by the end of the… read on >
The advent of the e-cigarette appears to have spurred a huge drop in tobacco smoking rates among teenagers and young adults, a new study claims. Previous research has argued that vaping could prove to be a gateway drug for smoking, by getting youngsters hooked on nicotine and used to the physical actions associated with smoking.… read on >
As the U.S. opioid epidemic rages unchecked, new research shows that pregnancy-related deaths due to opioid misuse more than doubled between 2007 and 2016. Deaths during or soon after pregnancy rose 34 percent during that time, and the percentage involving heroin, fentanyl or prescription painkillers (such as OxyContin) jumped from 4 percent to 10 percent,… read on >
Women are no more likely than men to have health problems due to strenuous training and extreme physical exertion, researchers report. “Our findings contain some potentially myth-busting data on the impact of extreme physical activity on women. We have shown that with appropriate training and preparation, many of the previously reported negative health effects can… read on >
If you’re a pot-smoking parent and you think your kids aren’t affected, think again. New research found evidence of secondhand marijuana smoke exposure in nearly half of children whose parents smoke the drug. “While the effects of tobacco smoke have been studied extensively, we are still learning about marijuana exposure,” said researcher Dr. Karen Wilson,… read on >
Late-night tweeting leads to poorer next-day performance by professional basketball players, according to a new study that highlights how social media can affect sleep. For the study, researchers examined statistics for games played between 2009 and 2016 by 112 National Basketball Association players who were verified Twitter users. After sending tweets during typical sleeping hours,… read on >
Chemotherapy may damage the cells that make hair and cause it to fall out, the National Cancer Institute says. Hair loss may begin two weeks to three weeks after starting chemotherapy, the agency says. Before hair begins to fall out, consider shaving your head, getting a wig or wearing a hat or scarf, the institute… read on >
The “hygiene hypothesis” holds that early exposure to a variety of microorganisms may decrease the risk for chronic inflammatory diseases, like asthma. Two Swedish studies that tracked 650,000 children found that exposure to farm animals and even dogs can have this kind of beneficial effect. Living on a farm cut kids’ asthma rate by half.… read on >
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remains the fourth biggest killer in the United States. But only a fraction of the millions of people who could benefit from post-hospital rehab for COPD are doing so, new research shows. COPD is a progressive, debilitating and incurable respiratory illness, often tied to smoking. Many patients require supplementary oxygen… read on >
Coffee’s bitter taste shouldn’t be a selling point. But a genetic variant explains why so many people love the brew, a new study suggests. Bitterness evolved as a natural warning system to protect people from harmful substances. That means they should want to spit out coffee, the researchers said. But their study of more than… read on >
