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Oklahoma smokers willing to try to quit, diet concurrently 

Oklahomans are willing to tackle giving up smoking and losing weight at the same time, according to preliminary results of a survey of smokers using the state's tobacco help line.

"People have weight concerns related to quitting smoking, but they're still willing to call and get help," said Laura Beebe, director of the Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, which conducted the study. "People do want to address both of those concerns at the same time."

Beebe gave results Thursday to the Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust Fund's board of directors, which helped fund the study.

"In the past there's been some mixed literature that had said, 'No, if you're going to treat people for tobacco addiction don't address weight control,'" Beebe said.

The average weight gain after a person quits smoking is five to 10 pounds, Beebe said.

"We find now obesity is more of a problem in the general population and weight gain after smoking is also inching up there," Beebe said.

Results are still being developed from the 18-month study, Beebe said. Follow-up work was completed in June.

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Obesity, Alcohol Consumption And Smoking Increase Risk Of Second Breast Cancer 

It is well known that survivors of breast cancer have a much higher risk of developing a second breast cancer than women in the general population have of developing a first breast cancer. However, little is known about what lifestyle factors may make survivors more vulnerable to a second cancer.

A new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online Sept. 8 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, has found that obesity, alcohol use and smoking all significantly increase the risk of second breast cancer among breast cancer survivors.

"We found that obese women had a 50 percent increased risk, women who consumed at least one alcoholic drink per day had a 90 percent increased risk, and women who were current smokers had a 120 percent increased risk of developing a second breast cancer," said lead author Christopher I. Li, M.D., Ph.D., an associate member of the Public Health Sciences Division at the Hutchinson Center. Li, an epidemiologist, primarily studies what causes breast cancer and how it can be prevented.

His study adds to a small but growing body of evidence that obesity (a body mass index of 30 kg/m2 or more), alcohol consumption (consuming at least seven drinks a week) and current smoking may be important risk factors for second breast tumors. The research also suggests that current smokers who imbibe at least seven drinks a week may be at particularly high risk of second breast cancer.

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• Second Breast Cancer: 3 Lifestyle Risks 

The study, published in the advance online edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, focused on women with estrogen receptor-positive (ER-positive) breast cancer. Most breast cancers are ER-positive, which means the tumors grow when exposed to the hormone estrogen.

Data came from more than 1,000 Seattle-area breast cancer patients, including 365 women who developed a second breast cancer in their opposite breast.

The women were interviewed about their smoking and drinking; their BMI (body mass index) was noted in their medical records.

The odds of developing a second breast cancer in the opposite breast were greater for obese women, for women who drank at least seven alcoholic beverages per week, and current smokers.

"We found that obese women had a 50% increased risk, women who consumed at least one alcoholic drink per day had a 90% increased risk, and women who were current smokers had a 120% increased risk of developing a second breast cancer," researcher Christopher Li, MD, PhD, says in a news release.

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Breakfast stubbed out: 1.2m children start their school day with a cigarette or junk food  

More than 1.2million children begin the day by eating junk food or smoking cigarettes instead of having a proper breakfast, a survey shows.

One in four seven to 14-year-olds snacks on crisps, chocolate or biscuits before going to school while one 14-year-old in 30 just has a cigarette. . . .

The report, published by Kellogg's, will raise fears that healthier eating in school is being undermined by the purchase of fatty and sugary snacks on the school run.

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Breast Cancer: Risk Increases For Smokers And Overweight Women 

A recent study published in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology has reinforced the correlation between being overweight, smoking and breast cancer. What makes this study unique is how test subjects were not diagnosed for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which predispose women to breast cancer.

Instead, women with such gene mutations were excluded to allow researchers to concentrate on lifestyle factors such as smoking, exercise, nutrition and weight. All women analyzed in the study were direct ancestors of the first French colonists.

"To our knowledge, this is the first study conducted on a sample of women without BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which are often found in French-Canadian women," says lead researcher Vishnee Bissonauth, a graduate of the Université de Montréal's Department of Nutrition and a researcher at the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Center.

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Smoking May Worsen Malnutrition In Developing Nations 

A new study finds that smokers in rural Indonesia finance their habit by dipping into the family food budget - which ultimately results in poorer nutrition for their children. The findings suggest that the costs of smoking in the developing world go well beyond the immediate health risks, according to authors Steven Block and Patrick Webb of Tufts University.

The study is published in the October issue of Economic Development and Cultural Change.

Using surveys of 33,000 mostly poor households in Java, Indonesia, the researchers found that the average family with at least one smoker spends 10 percent of its already tight budget on tobacco. Sixty-eight percent of a smoking family's budget goes to food, and 22 percent for non-food, non-tobacco purchases. The average non-smoking family, on the other hand, spends 75 percent of its income on food and 25 percent for non-food items.

"This suggests that 70 percent of the expenditures on tobacco products are financed by a reduction in food expenditures," the researchers write.

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Weight History, Smoking, Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Risk among French-Canadian Women Non-Carriers of More Frequent BRCA1/2 Mutations 

Our study showed that more than 9 pack-years of smoking had a significant positive association with breast cancer risk among both pre- and postmenopausal women; however, this result does not support our previous report of a reduced risk of breast cancer in carriers of BRCA gene mutations who had smoked more than 4 pack-years [28]. The weaker breast cancer risk in these subjects may have been associated with lower levels of circulating estrogens [29]. In contrast, a recent case-control study among Polish women indicated an increased risk of invasive breast cancer with the consumption of ≥10 cigarettes/d among both premenopausal (OR = 2.55; 95% CI: ) and postmenopausal (OR = 1.78; 95% CI: ) women [30]. Likewise, another recent study [31] suggested that BRCA mutation carriers who smoked had 2.3-fold (95% CI: ) and 2.6-fold (95% CI: ), respectively, greater risk of breast cancer. Cigarette smoke contains compounds that damage DNA, and the repair of such damage may be impaired in women with germline mutations. Some genotoxic carcinogens in tobacco smoke are mammary carcinogens in rodents [32]. The enzymatic machinery required for their metabolic activation is present in human mammary epithelial cells [33], and there is evidence of carcinogen-DNA adducts in human mammary tissue [34, 35], some of which may be smoking-related.

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A New Breath-Holding Test May Noninvasively Reveal Early Lung Abnormalities Caused by Smoking and/or Obesity  

Conclusions: A new test that measures oxygen saturation during breath-holding reveals early lung abnormalities in subjects who either smoke or are overweight, especially if these factors are combined. Peripheral airway abnormalities and/or lung volume reduction may play roles in the greater desaturation.

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Study: Smoking may worsen malnutrition in developing nations  

A new study finds that smokers in rural Indonesia finance their habit by dipping into the family food budget—which ultimately results in poorer nutrition for their children. The findings suggest that the costs of smoking in the developing world go well beyond the immediate health risks, according to authors Steven Block and Patrick Webb of Tufts University.

The study is published in the October issue of Economic Development and Cultural Change.

Using surveys of 33,000 mostly poor households in Java, Indonesia, the researchers found that the average family with at least one smoker spends 10 percent of its already tight budget on tobacco. Sixty-eight percent of a smoking family’s budget goes to food, and 22 percent for non-food, non-tobacco purchases. The average non-smoking family, on the other hand, spends 75 percent of its income on food and 25 percent for non-food items.

“This suggests that 70 percent of the expenditures on tobacco products are financed by a reduction in food expenditures,” the researchers write.

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• Smoking May Worsen Malnutrition In Developing Nations 

A new study finds that smokers in rural Indonesia finance their habit by dipping into the family food budget--which ultimately results in poorer nutrition for their children. The findings suggest that the costs of smoking in the developing world go well beyond the immediate health risks, according to authors Steven Block and Patrick Webb of Tufts University.

The study is published in the October issue of Economic Development and Cultural Change.

Using surveys of 33,000 mostly poor households in Java, Indonesia, the researchers found that the average family with at least one smoker spends 10 percent of its already tight budget on tobacco. Sixty-eight percent of a smoking family's budget goes to food, and 22 percent for non-food, non-tobacco purchases. The average non-smoking family, on the other hand, spends 75 percent of its income on food and 25 percent for non-food items.

"This suggests that 70 percent of the expenditures on tobacco products are financed by a reduction in food expenditures," the researchers write. . . .

The decrease in child nutrition associated with a parent who smokes is "an intuitive but rarely documented empirical finding," the researchers write.

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The combination of direct health threats from smoking coupled with the potential loss of [food] consumption among children linked to tobacco expenditure presents a development challenge of the highest order.
Steven A. Block and Patrick Webb. Up in Smoke: Tobacco Use, Expenditure on Food, and Child Malnutrition in Developing Countries. Economic Development and Cultural Change, 58:1. (October 2009)

LETTER: SMOKING AFFECTS WOMENS' SEX HORMONE-REGULATED BODY FORM 

Saarni et al.1 recently published an interesting study using Finnish twins to examine the association between adolescent smoking and adult abdominal obesity and overweight. They found that smoking was a risk for abdominal obesity in females.1 Unfortunately, they were unable to provide any explanation for the phenomenon, and did not realize that this probably affects the attractiveness of the female body.2 Here we propose why smoking may increase abdominal obesity in women and reduce attractiveness.

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Heart risks 'missed in smokers' 

High blood pressure is picked up less often in people who smoke, despite them being at higher risk of heart disease, research suggests.

A study of more than 20,000 men and women in England found smokers were less likely to be aware that they had high blood pressure than non-smokers.

The University College London team said spotting the condition was particularly important in those who smoke.

Being diagnosed can also prompt people to quit, heart experts said. . . .

One reason for the lack of diagnosis could be that smokers in the study tended to be thinner than those who did not smoke.

The researchers, who were funded by Cancer Research UK, said that GPs may be more likely to test blood pressure in people who were overweight.

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Heath Scan: Quitting cigarettes doesn't always cause weight gain 

Not all people who quit smoking gain a lot of weight. according to Dr. Rahel Dahan, a family medicine expert of Clalit Health Services and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology's Rappaport Medical Faculty in Haifa.

Writing in the Journal of Israeli Family Practice, Dahan said the average weight gain for those who kick the habit is only four or five kilos if they don't adopt a more nutritious diet or exercise. Many quitters don't gain any weight at all. In any case, she continues, the danger of gaining a few kilos is "minuscule" compared to the risks of continuing to smoke. Not only will the danger of lung cancer and heart disease decline, but the person will also breathe better, have fewer wrinkles, and minimize the risk of yellow teeth and bad breath.

Dahan, who is experienced at helping patients stop smoking, and is also an authorized hypnotist, advises those who have given up tobacco to take a bottle of cold water (preferably with a little lemon juice) and sugarless gum with them to keep themselves under control when they watch TV, drive or do other things that used to be accompanied by a cigarette.

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Soy in the Diet May Protect Lung Function 

Consuming lots of soy foods such as tofu and soy milk may improve lung function and lower the chances of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), new research suggests.

Researchers asked 300 COPD patients in Japan and 340 age-matched healthy people about their soy intake. The results, published online in the journal Respiratory Research, indicate that consumption of soy products is associated with better lung function and reduced risk of COPD.

Long-term smoking causes 90 percent of cases of COPD, which is characterized by a progressive decline in lung function and includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema, according to background information provided in a news release from the journal's publisher.

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• Superfood Soy Linked To Reduction In Smoker's Lung Damage Risk 

People who eat lots of soy products have better lung function and are less likely to develop the smoking-associated lung disease COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease). A new study has shown that consumption of a wide variety of soy products can be associated with a reduction in the risk of COPD and other respiratory symptoms.

Dr. Fumi Hirayama and Professor Andy Lee from Curtin University of Technology, Australia, worked with a team of respiratory physicians to poll 300 patients with COPD from six Japanese hospitals and 340 age-matched control subjects from the same areas as the patients about their soy intake. Dr. Hirayama said, "Soy consumption was found to be positively correlated with lung function and inversely associated with the risk of COPD. It has been suggested that flavonoids from soy foods act as an anti-inflammatory agent in the lung, and can protect against tobacco carcinogens for smokers. However, further research is needed to understand the underlying biological mechanism".

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