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Team Sports Can’t Compete With Films to Keep Kids From Smoking

July 7, 2009

MONDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) — Taking part in team sports lowers the odds of children smoking, but it can’t compete with the powerful influence of smoking in movies, a new study finds.

Movies can shape popular taste and behavior, from clothing to cultural habits; other studies have found that seeing smoking in movies increases the chances that children will light up. As many as 30 percent to 50 percent of adolescent smokers attribute their smoking to seeing it in films, researchers say. Read More

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Alimta Approved as Maintenance Therapy for Advanced Lung Cancer

July 7, 2009

MONDAY, July 6 (HealthDay News) — The drug Alimta (pemetrexed) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to prevent progression of certain types of advanced or metastatic (spreading) lung cancer, the agency said Monday.

The drug, which hinders the needed absorption by certain tumors of B-vitamin folate, is newly approved for people whose tumor has shrunk or whose cancer has stabilized after chemotherapy. Read More

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Anti-Smoking Drugs Get FDA ‘Black-Box’ Warning

July 1, 2009

WEDNESDAY, July 1 (HealthDay News) — Two drugs prescribed to help people quit smoking, Chantix and Zyban, will now carry “black-box” warnings on the potential risks of psychiatric problems, including depression and suicidal thoughts, U.S. health officials said Wednesday.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was mandating the black-box warnings, the strictest possible, based on reports to the agency of these side effects and on a review of clinical trials and scientific literature. Read More

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Online Genetic Testing Appears to Have Benefits

June 30, 2009

TUESDAY, June 30 (HealthDay News) — Online genetic testing for lung cancer appears to offer some benefits to patients, according to U.S. researchers who evaluated the use of an online test among 44 smokers.

“Up until now we have had a clear model for genetic testing. You see a professional genetics counselor, undergo a battery of tests and that professional helps you interpret your results,” Saskia Sanderson, who conducted the study while at the social and behavioral research branch of the U.S. National Human Genome Research Institute, said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research. Read More

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Smoking May Trigger Brain Damage

June 26, 2009

FRIDAY, June 26 (HealthDay News) — A direct link exists between smoking and brain damage, researchers say.

The scientists found that a compound in tobacco triggers white blood cells in the central nervous system to attack healthy cells, resulting in severe neurological damage.

The compound, NNK, is a procarcinogen, which means it becomes cancer-causing when it’s altered by the metabolic processes of the body, the researchers wrote. NNK doesn’t cause direct harm to brain cells, but appears to cause neuroinflammation that leads to disorders such as multiple sclerosis. Read More

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Obama Signs Tough New Anti-Smoking Law

June 23, 2009

MONDAY, June 22 (HealthDay News) — President Barack Obama signed into law Monday the nation’s toughest anti-smoking law that gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration unprecedented powers to regulate tobacco products.

Under the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, the FDA will be able to ban labels on cigarettes such as “low tar” and “light,” outlaw candy flavorings, and order companies to reduce nicotine in tobacco products. The law also requires large graphic warnings on cartons of cigarettes, the Associated Press reported.

The FDA can now regulate what goes into tobacco products, make those ingredients public, and prohibit marketing campaigns, particularly those that target children. Read More

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Chemicals in Marijuana Smoke May Harm DNA

June 22, 2009

FRIDAY, June 19 (HealthDay News) — The smoke from cannabis, the plant from which marijuana is derived, contains compounds that can damage DNA and increase the risk of cancer just like tobacco smoke, says a new study from the United Kingdom.

In laboratory tests, Rajinder Singh from the University of Leicester and colleagues found certain carcinogens in cannabis smoke in amounts 50 percent greater than those found in tobacco smoke. They noted that light cannabis use could possibly prove to be even more damaging because cannabis smokers usually inhale more deeply than cigarette smokers. Read More

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Tobacco Control Bill Heads to White House as Health Groups Cheer

June 15, 2009

FRIDAY, June 12 (HealthDay News) — Legislation that gives the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulatory control over tobacco products headed to the White House Friday for President Obama’s signature, as health organizations across the country cheered.

The bill was sent on its way after the House of Representatives rapidly endorsed the Senate’s version of the bill, which was passed late Thursday. Obama quickly praised the bill, the Associated Press reported, saying it “will make history by giving the scientists and medical experts at the FDA the power to take sensible steps.” Read More

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Nicotine May Help Spur ‘Prediabetes’

June 12, 2009

THURSDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) — The nicotine in cigarette smoke may promote insulin resistance and lead to a condition known as prediabetes, new research shows.

The finding, to be outlined Thursday at the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C., could explain why smokers are at higher risk for diabetes. The same team of researchers was able to partially reverse nicotine’s effect on insulin in mice by giving the rodents the nicotine-blunting drug mecamylamine. Read More

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Health Organizations Cheer Senate Vote on Tobacco Control

June 12, 2009

THURSDAY, June 11 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Senate’s historic vote late Thursday to give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration control over tobacco products brought cheers from health organizations across the country.

The legislation “will finally put an end to Big Tobacco’s despicable marketing practices that are designed to addict children to its deadly products,” said John R. Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Read More

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