BY JANICE NEUMANN Fri Feb 27, 2015 12:13pm EST (Reuters Health) – Excess pounds and smoking might each raise the likelihood of frequent heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), according to a large study from Norway. Other factors linked to higher odds of new GERD symptoms included getting older, being a woman, having less education, […]
Risk Factors on the Development of New-Onset Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptoms. A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study: The HUNT Study Andreas Hallan BSc, Med Am J Gastroenterol advance online publication 10 February 2015; doi: 10.1038/ajg.2015.18 Abstract Objectives: Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a highly prevalent disorder. This study assessed the risk factors of new-onset gastroesophageal reflux symptoms […]
Natalie Walker, Ph.D. December 18, 2014 N Engl J Med 2014; 371:2353-2362 Abstract BACKGROUND Placebo-controlled trials indicate that cytisine, a partial agonist that binds the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor and is used for smoking cessation, almost doubles the chances of quitting at 6 months. We investigated whether cytisine was at least as effective as nicotine-replacement therapy […]
Diana Swift November 18, 2014 Story Source Girls who smoke starting from age 13 years may have the greatest risk of experiencing severe chronic pain with their periods, according to a longitudinal population study published onlineNovember 17 in Tobacco Control. Previous studies have suggested that smoking could increase the risk for severe menstrual pain, which affects 2% […]
RESEARCH · October 21, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE This multinational prospective case-cohort study examined the relationship between smoking and incident type 2 diabetes. The hazard ratios of type 2 diabetes among men were 1.40 for former smokers and 1.43 for current smokers, irrespective of age, education, center, physical activity, and ingestion of alcohol, coffee, and meat. […]
David Rakel MD, FAAFP Story Source Two studies published last month add to the vast amount of evidence on the positive effect that lifestyle choices have on disease risk. Tangney and colleagues showed that eating a Mediterranean diet or a DASH diet were each associated with less cognitive decline in elderly individuals.1 This was equivalent to […]
Michael O’Riordan September 26, 2014 Story Source STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — A healthy diet, moderate alcohol consumption, a smaller waist circumference, and not smoking were each independently associated with a lower risk of MI in a large cohort of healthy Swedish men[1]. When these four lifestyle behaviors were combined with physical activity, individuals who adhered to all five […]
Published: Sep 22, 2014 | Updated: Sep 23, 2014 By Elizabeth DeVita Raeburn, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Story Source Action Points Note that this large Swedish study suggested that several modifiable risk factors, including moderate alcohol intake and refraining from smoking, were associated with a dramatic reduction in risk of myocardial infarction in men. Be […]
Published: Aug 13, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Action Points There is some evidence that particulate air pollution may influence risk for and expression of autoimmune disease. A particular role for nanoparticles in human disease has not been established. Recently, I wrote an article about some interesting research being done by Jean Pfau, […]
An analysis of population-based data Sam Norton PhD The Lancet Neurology, Volume 13, Issue 8, Pages 788 – 794, August 2014 Summary Background Recent estimates suggesting that over half of Alzheimer’s disease burden worldwide might be attributed to potentially modifiable risk factors do not take into account risk-factor non-independence. We aimed to provide specific estimates […]
Published: Jul 28, 2014 By Nancy Walsh, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Patients with psoriatic arthritis who smoke have worse patient-reported disease features at baseline and don’t respond as well as nonsmokers to anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) treatment, a Danish study found. Current smokers had higher patient global scores on a 100-mm visual analog scale […]
Marcia Frellick July 08, 2014 Extremely obese people — those with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 40 kg/m2 — have higher mortality rates, and most of these additional deaths are caused by cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, according to a study published online July 8 in PLOS Medicine. Cari Kitahara, PhD, from the […]
Heartwire Marlene Busko May 22, 2014 Medscape Article OTTAWA, ON — Within a year, obesity will overtake smoking as the number-one modifiable cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factor in Canada, researchers predict[1]. Moreover, the prevalence of diabetes is expected to increase over the next seven years, according to this study, which was published online May 20, […]
by Laird Harrison May 09, 2014 Physical inactivity ranks higher than smoking, obesity, or high blood pressure among the causes of heart disease in Australian women older than 30 years, a new study shows. “Programmes for the promotion and maintenance of physical activity deserve to be a much higher public health priority for women than […]
April 28, 2014 TAKE-HOME MESSAGE Healthy young adults were followed for the development of subclinical atherosclerosis over 20 years; five healthy lifestyle factors were assessed in these individuals. After 20 years, having more healthy lifestyle factors was associated with decreased coronary artery calcification and lower carotid intima media thickness. Healthy lifestyle changes, which we often […]
Cigarette smoke exposure is associated with vitamin D3 deficiencies in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014 Mar 31. pii: S0091-6749(14)00207-3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2014.01.039. [Epub ahead of print] Mulligan JK PubMed Reference Journal Reference Abstract BACKGROUND: Cigarette smoke (CS) plays a role in the exacerbation of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS); however, the mechanism for this […]
Zosia Chustecka February 06, 2014 In launching the World Cancer Report 2014 earlier this week, the editors emphasized the need for prevention and highlighted lifestyle behaviors that lead to cancer, including smoking tobacco, drinking alcohol, overweight/obesity, and lack of exercise. The report, issued by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IACR), contains contributions from more than […]
JAMA Ophthalmol 2014 Jan 02;[EPub Ahead of Print], BE Lindblad, N Håkansson, A Wolk February 04, 2014 Full Story TAKE-HOME MESSAGE This large, prospective, population-based study from Sweden showed an association between cigarette smoking and cataract extraction (a 42% increased risk), with a significant dose–response relationship. Smoking cessation decreased risk for cataract extraction; heavy smokers also […]
01.05.2014 by Crystal Phend Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today The cataract risk associated with smoking slowly fell after ceasing tobacco use, although not to the level of a never-smoker, a Swedish population-based study showed. Smoking more than 15 cigarettes per day was associated with 42% higher likelihood of a cataract surgery during 12 years of […]