Tobacco News

Women who smoke heavily during pregnancy tend to have daughters who start menstruating months earlier than the daughters of women who did not smoke during their pregnancy.

Previous studies have found evidence that women who start menstruating early may be at higher risk of health problems later in life. Early menstruation has been tied to a number of health risks, including heart disease, breast cancer and even lung problems such as asthma. Earlier periods have also been associated with earlier sexual activity and use of substances such as cigarettes and alcohol. Ream more »

Smoking may soon be banned in Detroit public housing. Health issues and the cost of cleaning are driving the push to end smoking in more than 4,000 units. Smoking in public is increasingly limited. A ban was extended to restaurants and bars early this year. There is now a move to ban smoking in Detroit public housing units, especially high rises with shared air ducts.
Residents are split.
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The increase in price of cigarettes and alcohol as directed in the 2011 budget will do little in the fight against the excessive use of the two substances says the Ministry of Health.

Spokesperson Peni Namotu says people must refrain themselves from smoking and the excessive use of alcohol.
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Most are familiar with the health risks involved in smoking, or being around second hand smoke. Smoking has a negative impact on one’s overall health status and more specifically on the lungs and heart. Individuals that smoke may be affected from head to toe, but several disease processes are attributed to smoking. The more familiar diseases include Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD), emphysema, and lung cancer. Ream more »

Smoking in pregnancy can cause harm to the child’s developing brain that puts them at greater risk of having a long-term criminal record, claim researchers.
Scientists claim that mothers who behave like January Jone’s Mad Men character Betty Draper and puff away while expecting can cause harm to a baby’s developing brain.
Those whose mothers smoked 20 cigarettes a day were more likely to become repeat offenders when they grew up. Ream more »

Heavy smoking in middle age is linked to more than double the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia two decades later, according to a new study. Current estimates suggest smoking is responsible for several million deaths per year from causes such as heart disease and cancer, according to background information in the article.
Minna Rusanen, M.D., of University of Eastern Finland and Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio, Finland, and colleagues analyzed data from 21,123 members of one health care system who participated in a survey between 1978 and 1985, when they were 50 to 60 years old. Ream more »

There will be no more smoking in Clifton parks or recreation facilities. The City Council was five in favor of banning smoking in parks and recreational facilities at Tuesday’s meeting with Councilman Joe Kolodziej voting no and Councilman Steve Hatala absent. City Manager Al Greco said the maximum fine for smoking in City parks will be $1,250. The no smoking signs will be ordered and erected as soon as the City has funds and personnel to do so, Greco said. Ream more »

Many smokers experience stress and weight gain when they quit. These are common after-effects of quitting smoking. These circumstances happen as the body deals with the absence of nicotine that it was used to having regularly before quitting took place. Weight gain cannot be prevented when smoking is completely stopped. Even if you don’t eat much nor do some exercise to avoid it, you still end up adding a few pounds. Ream more »

Health officials reported this week that U.S. smoking rates are not going down, and that one if five adults are still smoking regularly. I find this news so disappointing, especially considering that smoking is the number one cause of “preventable” deaths in this country. What are people thinking?
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Action Points
Point out that these studies have negative implications for both maternal and paternal smokers.
Smoking may provide an explanation for reduced fertility, results of two studies suggested.
The first, by Claus Yding Andersen, MD, of the University of Copenhagen, and colleagues, Ream more »