Smokers warned they are 45% more at risk of dementia

It isn’t the first time the two have been linked together, but more research has shown a clear association between smoking and the onset of dementia.

Despite the fact anybody can develop the debilitating disease, research released by the World Health Organization (WHO) working together with Alzheimer’s disease International (ADI) has highlighted a link between smoking and dementia risk.

The report warns that smokers are putting themselves at a staggering 45% increased risk of developing dementia compared to non-smokers, and the more someone smokes, the higher the risk goes.

The experts involved in the report believe 14% of all cases of Alzheimer’s cases around the globe are because of smoking and WHO state that even those exposed to second-hand smoke (known as passive smoking) can still have an increased risk of developing dementia.

Shekhar Saxena, director of the Department for Mental Health and Substance Abuse at the WHO, said: “Since there is currently no cure for dementia, public health interventions need to focus on prevention by changing modifiable risk factors like smoking.

“This research shows that a decrease in smoking now is likely to result in a substantial decrease in the burden of dementia in the years to come.”

Serge Gauthier, chair of Alzheimer’s Disease International’s medical scientific advisory panel, added: “The research also shows that quitting smoking later in life might be beneficial so encouraging and supporting current tobacco users to quit should be a priority.”

Doug Brown, director of research and development at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This shocking estimate that so many cases of Alzheimer’s may be linked to smoking surely means we must count the global burden of the condition alongside the millions of deaths we already know are caused by tobacco.

“With 44 million people worldwide living with dementia, it is now time to rank the condition alongside others like cancer and heart disease when we talk about tackling smoking.

“With no cure yet for dementia, we need more research to gain a better understanding about how lifestyle factors can increase risk and a significant public health effort to attempt to reduce the number of future cases of the condition.”

Dementia is a term used for a group of symptoms that are the result of one of a number of brain diseases, with Alzheimer’s being the most common by far. When somebody develops dementia, it is not only tragic for the affected person, but for all friends and family of that person.

The condition impairs a person’s ability to think, rationalise things and remember. Memory loss is often viewed as the obvious sign of dementia, but there are other signs to look for such as: changes in personality and mood, speech and language difficulty, delusions or hallucinations, wandering or restlessness, depression or anxiety, agitation and balance problems.

The Alzheimer’s Society say there are about 800,000 people in the UK that have dementia. A third of the over-65s will develop dementia, with two thirds of sufferers being women.

As people are now generally living a lot longer, the numbers will only increase. By 2021, there could be as many as 1 million people living in the UK with dementia.

However, people can act now to help lower the risk of developing the disease, such as: engaging in regular exercise, maintaining a healthy body weight, stopping smoking, sticking to a healthy diet and limiting alcohol intake.

Stanford University halts tobacco sales on campus – will UK Universities follow?

One of the world’s leading Universities is leading by example and clamping down on smoking by banning sale of cigarettes in addition to smoking on campus.

Stanford University in California’s Bay Area will force its campus shops to cease the sale of all tobacco products from 1 March, arguing that the sale of tobacco does not sit well with its work on the promotion of healthy living.

The high-profile university boasts almost 700 buildings and spans more than 8,000 acres. It often makes an appearance in the top 5 global university league tables and now joins other universities in the US to come down heavy on smoking.

Stanford’s smoking rules were given an overhaul three years ago forbidding smoking inside any building and not within a 9m distance of a building, in addition to being banned at outdoor athletic events.

Currently there is already a complete ban on outdoor smoking at the university’s school of medicine but the new rules mean next week that students cannot obtain any kind of tobacco product from vendors at convenience stores at the Valero gas station and Tresidder Union on campus.

Susan Weinstein, assistant vice president for business development and responsible for overseeing the vendors, says the new tougher rules have been in the pipeline for many months.

”The university is an advocate for the health and well-being of its entire community, and tobacco sales are inconsistent with our many programs that support healthy habits and behaviours,” Ms. Weinstein commented to the school’s daily email newsletter, the Stanford Report.

According to recent report made available by the American Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation, there are an estimated 1,182 college campuses in the US that now operate with a 100% smoke-free policy. This is almost double the number in 2011 and it is believe that of the 1,182 smoke-free campuses, 811 are even completely tobacco-free.

In recent times electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) have surged in popularity across the US and here in the UK, creating a concern as to whether e-cigarettes are merely used as a smoking cessation method, or are being used as a gateway into smoking much more dangerous tobacco cigarettes.

However, Simon Clark, director of the smokers’ group Forest, criticised Stanford for “taking the war on tobacco to such extreme lengths”.

He said: “It sends the message that American colleges are increasingly illiberal, preferring prohibition to education, which is bizarre. If they won’t defend people’s right to buy a legal product it also calls into question their commitment to defend other rights like freedom of speech or assembly. Banning the sale of tobacco won’t stop students smoking. It could make it cooler because the university is effectively driving it underground.”

Alarming figures show almost one billion smokers on the planet

The earth’s population has more than doubled in the last 50 years, soaring to 7.1 billion according to the United States Census Bureau (USCB).

Inevitably, this has impacted the total number of smoker’s around the globe, with estimates showing there could be almost one billion people around the world who are lighting up. This is despite the fact that the habit is becoming less popular in certain parts of the world as people become more concerned for their health and the reality hits home that smoking is an incredibly expensive habit.

In 1980 it was estimated that the total number of global smokers stood at around 721 million. However, in 2012, this figure now stood at 967 million, according to data that was collated from 187 countries. The rise has occurred even though on the whole, the percentage of the population smoking on a daily basis across the globe has actually come down.

Research by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) have highlighted a spiralling population on the earth for the huge rise in smoking rates, with Bangladesh, China and Russia witnessing a particularly high number of inhabitants beginning to smoke during the last few years. Researchers noted that surprisingly, some of the largest smoking rates can be seen in the developing world.

Over half of the males in many countries smoke on a daily basis, such as those in Russia, Indonesia, Armenia, and Timor Leste.

At the other end of the scale however, the lowest smoking rates for men are found in Antigua and Barbuda, Sao Tome and Principe, and Nigeria. Smoking rates are lowest for women in Eritrea, Cameroon, and Morocco.

The small country of East Timor can claim the unwanted title of having the highest prevalence of tobacco use, with 61% of its population lighting up each and every day.

Two Caribbean Islands – Antigua and Barbuda – could proudly say they were jointly rock bottom of the list, with just 5% of their populations smoking each day.

Particular countries to be commended are Canada, Iceland, Norway and Mexico, all of whom were found to be effective at either getting their inhabitants to quit smoking, or manage to urge them not to start it in the first place.

IHME Director Dr Christopher Murray said: “Despite the tremendous progress made on tobacco control, much more remains to be done. We have the legal means to support tobacco control, and where we see progress being made we need to look for ways to accelerate that progress. Where we see stagnation, we need to find out what’s going wrong.”

Amanda Sandford of Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) commented on the research, saying: “As the overall number of smokers worldwide is still rising, this study shows how important it is for all countries to implement a range of tobacco control measures to curb the terrible toll of tobacco-related illness and death. Low and middle-income countries in particular face an enormous challenge to fend off the powerful tobacco industry and stop smoking rates escalating.”

Grandchildren could develop asthma from their grandmother’s smoking

There are umpteen reasons to quit smoking for good, and it seems that on a daily basis there is yet another story to hit the headlines that highlights more evidence of the massive damage that tobacco does to a person’s health and wellbeing.

However, the researchers behind a study published in the March edition of Review of Obstetrics & Gynecology has pushed the boundaries a little further in this respect with claims regarding smoking and genetic inheritance.

Two Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed), John S. Torday, Ph.D, and Virender K. Rehan, M.D, believe that having a grandmother who smoked can greatly increase your chance of developing the lung respiratory condition asthma – even if your mother was a non-smoker.

They state that the chemicals and environmental factors which impact our body in the present day could have after-effects for family members in future generations due to the nicotine leaving a ‘mark’ on the genome (our complete set of DNA), making future generations more likely to develop conditions such as asthma or COPD.

Referencing studies conducted by Dr. Rehan, the researchers explained in their editorial that pregnant rats administered nicotine went on to breed asthmatic pups, who then also produced asthmatic pups – even though there was no exposure to nicotine in the third generation.

In addition, the researchers also cited the Children’s Health Study from Southern California, which demonstrated that grandmaternal smoking when pregnant can greatly increase the asthma risk for grandchildren, regardless of whether the mother had been a smoker.

The researchers concluded that asthma seen in the second generation was ‘epigenetic modification’ (an environmental factor resulting in a genetic alteration). It was determined that both the lung cells and sex cells were being impacted by nicotine in ways that caused the lungs that developed from those cells to then develop abnormally – resulting in asthma.

This latest study is not the first one to connect smoking asthma, however could be deemed one of the more controversial. Previous studies have long established a link between a mother smoking at her children having a higher risk of developing asthma. Dr. Erika von Mutius published a study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology over ten years ago where he said: “exposure to tobacco smoke in utero significantly increases asthma risk.”

Dr. Torday commented: “These studies break new ground in validating and further explaining the mechanisms involved in the transmission of epigenetic human diseases. The transmission of the asthma to the second generation and its prevention by a specifically-targeted molecular intervention are the first unequivocal demonstrations of multi-generational transmission of an epigenetically-mediated effect on the offspring.”

Dr. Rehan further added: “Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, resulting in a significant impact on the lives of children and driving up medical costs for all. While many factors contribute to asthma, smoking during pregnancy is a well-established one and one that can be avoided. Eliminating smoking during pregnancy would significantly reduce the prevalence of childhood asthma for this generation and for future generations.”

Binge drinking culture is rife in teens from Manchester and Merseyside

Researchers based at Manchester University have worked with counterparts at Liverpool University to conduct the largest ever health and lifestyle survey of 26 cities and conurbations across Europe. The study has been named as ‘The European Urban Health Indicator System (EURO-URHIS 2) project’.

The areas they looked at were collectively known as the ‘Euro-26’ and included: Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bistrita, Bordeaux, Bratislava, Cardiff, Craiova, Glasgow, Greater Manchester, Iasi, Kaunas, Koln, Kosice, Liepaja, Ljubljana, Maribor, Merseyside, Montpellier, Oberhausen, Oslo, Riga, Siauliai, Skopje, Tetova, Tromso and Utrecht.


The pan-European survey analysed factors such as life expectancy, health and lifestyles across the population in each areas to highlight key policy recommendations.  In regards to the UK regions in the survey, there were perhaps some eyebrow-raising  results.

It was found that Merseyside has the highest population of teenage drinkers, with 55% of 14 to 16 year olds apparently being heavy drinkers. Manchester didn’t fare much better, coming in with 50% still. To put this into perspective, the European average was merely 33% and the lowest rate was found to be 16% in Tetova, Albania. In both Manchester and Merseyside it was also found that the rate of kids who had drunk prior to the age of 13 stood at a shocking 61%. However, the figure was worse though in Bordeaux, France (68%) and Bratislava, Slovakia (62%), although these places did not have high heavy youth drinkers in comparison.

In Greater Manchester and Merseyside it was discovered that depression and anxiety were key problem areas that need to be addressed. Both could be connected to the high rates of binge drinking that evidently seems to be an issue in these regions, and also ever-increasing unemployment rates due to the recession. Cancer, respiratory disease and obesity were both higher in these regions too than the Euro-26 average.

On the flip side, it was not simply all doom and gloom for Mancunians and Liverpudlians. People in Manchester consume a lot more fruit and vegetables than the Euro-26 average and also eat breakfast more frequently; a meal most would argue is the most important meal of the day. Strangely, those in Liverpool had a lower than average perception of their own well-being, yet the survey shows that they tend to smoke a lot less than European counterparts and a flick through many recent Medical Specialists news stories will give you plenty of reasons why not smoking hugely benefits both you and others around you!

More British cities looked at were Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow. Respiratory disease fatalities are apparently much higher in Birmingham than the Euro-26 average, but the incidence of male cancers was a lot less. Youngsters in Birmingham can be looked at in a positive light after it was found that heavy drinking and smoking among this group of people is way below the Euro-26 average.

Project coordinator Dr Arpana Verma, from The University of Manchester, explained a bit more about the purpose of their study and said, “The gap between the rich and poor living in urban areas across the world is widening. The urban poor are now worse off than the rural poor. Health inequalities are a greater issue than ever before and it’s becoming increasingly important for policymakers to take the valuable information that we have to offer and translate into policies that can help improve our health. The European Urban Health Conference highlights these disparities and demonstrated effective tools that policymakers can use to improve health for all. Comparison within cities and between cities is becoming an area of interest to researchers, policymakers and the populations they serve. We will shortly launch our website with our preliminary results, including the differences we have seen. By highlighting these differences, we can learn from each other to make our cities healthier, and empower the citizens of Europe.”

Dr Christopher Birt, from the University of Liverpool, added to Dr Verma’s comments and commented, “Networks and public health advocacy is vital if we are to make our urban areas work for our populations in the future. Policy makers and researchers need to work together, with the best evidence, to reduce inequalities and improve health.”

The dangers of second hand and third hand smoking

By now everybody should be fully aware of the dangers of first hand smoking. Medical Specialists Pharmacy have covered them in great depths during 2012 such as here and here. What we have not reported on yet in detail, is how second hand and even third hand smoking can negatively impact a person’s health.

Secondhand smoking (SHS) may be also described as ‘passive’ or ‘involuntary’ smoking, as it occurs when somebody breathes in another person’s cigarette smoke. SHS causes many of the same conditions and diseases that direct smoking can result in, including cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, a brain tumour, asthma, dementia and numerous other problems. It is actually estimated that in the UK alone a staggering 11,000 people die each year from heart disease, cancers and strokes that are directly connected to the damage brought on by SHS.

The major health risks involved with SHS were the main driving force behind the government’s 2007 nationwide smoking ban, prohibiting anybody from smoking in all public spaces including pubs, nightclubs, restaurants, shops and many other popular places. When the ban first came into effect five years ago, opponents to the law raised fears that it would lead to an increase of smoking inside the home and thus it would cause children to be more exposed to SHS.

However it seems that these fears were unnecessary. In the five years since the ban came into effect in the UK, there has been plenty of evidence to show that people are taking the subject of smoking seriously in comparison to previous years. Some argue than the ban of smoking in public spaces has opened people’s eyes to the massive dangers of breathing in cigarette smoke and many parents are actually putting in extra effort, to protect their children from inhaling in the smoke.

Scotland was the first country in the UK to be hit with a smoking ban, which came into effect in March 2006. A study carried out by Glasgow University found that there was a 15% drop in the number of children with asthma being admitted to hospital, one of the main health conditions that is both caused and then triggered by cigarette smoke. The benefits that have been seen by the various smoking bans across UK countries is something Medical Specialists looked at earlier in the year.

So who is mainly at risk from the after-effects of breathing in SHS? Basically the answer is everybody and there are absolutely no ‘safe’ levels of secondhand smoke. But there are certain groups who are more vulnerable and may develop serious health problems from it. For example, babies and newborns are a particularly major high-risk group. If a woman smokes during her pregnancy this means the unborn baby will receive less oxygen and will have more carbon monoxide in their bloodstream.

Other problems that could therefore arise include the baby having a low birth weight,  miscarriage, premature birth or sudden infant death syndrome; whereby babies of mothers who smoke are twice as likely to die from this compared to babies carried by a non-smoker. Children who are exposed to SHS also face suffering with persistent colds, ear infections, pneumonia, bronchitis, and severe asthma. SHS can severely impact lung growth in children and can then cause them to cough, wheeze, and suffer with breathlessness.

It is not just babies and newborns though who are impacted by the smoking of others. Only last week, researchers at Northumbria University claimed that the results of a study they had conducted, showed that non-smokers  who breathe in second hand smoke on a regular basis, could suffer from memory problems. The researchers who conducted the study compared a group of current smokers with two different groups of non-smokers; those often exposed to SHS and those who weren’t. The exposed group either lived with somebody who smoked or spent time with smokers, for example at designated smoking areas at work, etc.  And this was for around 25 hours each week for an average of four and a half years. The groups were then tested on time-based memory and event-based memory. Worryingly it was found that the non-smokers who were exposed to SHS actually forgot nearly 20% more in memory tests compared with those who were not regularly exposed. It was even worse for the current smokers, with this group forgetting 30% more than people who were not exposed to SHS.

If all the above was not a big enough cause for concern, there is also the issue of ‘third hand’ smoke, sometimes also known as residual tobacco smoke. Third hand smoke might be a term that some people have never even heard of or are not familiar with, but it is a subject that does need considering. This is a term that used for tobacco residue that lingers, sticking to things such as walls, carpets, furniture, clothing and other surfaces. Although smokers going outside a building to designated smoking areas will reduce secondhand smoking, the residue clings to their clothing and skin and follow them back inside.

Young children and babies are most susceptible at ingesting these cancer-causing toxins as they are more likely to be in a closer proximity, crawling/playing on the floor and tend to put things into their mouths. Although no specific cancer-risks have been properly measured to get an idea of the magnitude of the issue and the risks of third hand smoke are likely small compared to SHS, many people are now appreciating the possible dangers. In fact in October 2011, Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in Alexandria, Louisiana, made the news after it was revealed that they would ban third hand smoke from July 2012. Therefore employees whose clothing smell of smoke will be forbidden from being at work. The ban came about primarily because of the threat of third hand smoking, on the developing brains of infants and small children.

Now you know about just some of the dangers that both second and third hand smoke can cause to people, it could be time to consider about making positive changes today, to vastly improve the health of you and your loved ones. It might be sometimes impossible to eliminate your exposure, but there are steps you can take to drastically reduce the threat to an absolutely minimal level. Alternatively, if you are a smoker and worried about those around you, now might be the point to get on board with next months ‘Stoptober’ campaign,  to try and quit for good or at least consider the improvements you could make to protect the health of others.

Don’t allow smoke into your house. If you, a friend or family member wants to smoke, go outside to do it. Explain this policy to your guests when they enter your home and do not put out any ashtrays around the house.

. Don’t allow smoke into your car. If you or a passenger wishes to smoke, stop at a place where you can they smoke outside of the vehicle.

. If a family member smokes, offer your full support and encourage them to quit. Be gentle yet firm.

. Only choose childcare facilities that operate with a no smoking policy. Also let babysitters know in advance that you house is a smoke-free zone.

. If you are at a nightclub or pub with a friend who smokes, do not accompany them outside when they decide to have a cigarette.

. Open windows and use fans to keep your home ventilated.

. If you are going away on holiday, request strictly a non-smoking room and other such facilities.

. If you smoke and are thinking of quitting, try effective smoking cessation medication such as Champix.

Heavy smokers are at risk of a fatal brain bleed

Medical Specialists Pharmacy has been the bearer of bad news for smokers numerous times this year already; with more and more compelling scientific evidence and studies to emerge that prove just how dangerous tobacco smoke is for your health. It is probably for these reasons that we are experiencing a massive demand for the smoking cessation medication Champix, and this shows no signs of slowing down in the future.

To add to the misery for smokers around the world, we must now report on more risks that come from lighting up a cigarette. In fact, smoking more than 20 of them each day may almost triple your chance of suffering a potentially deadly brain haemorrhage, research suggests.

Korean researchers led by Dr Chi Kyung Kim, from Seoul National University Hospital, studied 426 episodes of subarachnoid haemorrhage (brain bleeds)  from 33 different hospitals across Korea in a two year period, between 2002 and 2004.

A subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) is usually a very sudden and painful headache caused by a burst in a weakened artery inside the brain. It is typically described as like ‘being hit on the head with a shovel’ by those unfortunate to experience one. They account for roughly one in 20 strokes in England and the main causes for them are thought to include smoking, long-term excessive alcohol intake and a family history of brain aneurysms. Chances of survival are limited at about 50%, but many patients are left with a varying degree of disability.

For the study at the Seoul National University Hospital, Dr Kim and his colleagues contrasted the 426 patients against the same number of people who had not suffered a brain bleed in those two years, with age and sex identical for each person. The average age for the subjects was 50 and the researchers analysed medical history, lifestyle and smoking habits for everybody.

Results of the study will no doubt raise many eyebrows and paint a further damning portrait into the damage that cigarettes do to the human body. In the group who had suffered from a brain bleed, the number of smokers was determined to be much greater, together with the proportions of those with a family history of stroke and blood pressure problems.

Nearly 38% of those in the brain bleed group were current smokers, compared with 25% in the other group. The researchers study suggests that by not smoking for at least five years results in a massive reduction in overall risk, dropping to 59%. However, those with a history of smoking over 20 cigarettes each day were still approximately 2.3 times more likely to suffer an SAH compared to people who have never smoked.

Dr Kim and his team presented their findings in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, and said, “We have demonstrated that cigarette smoking increases the risk of SAH, but smoking cessation decreases the risk in a time dependent manner, although this beneficial effect may be diminished in heavy smokers. To forestall tragic SAH events, our results call for more global and vigorous efforts for people to stop smoking.”

Breaking news! Eggs are comparable to smoking for heart disease risk

In news that may break the heart of many people across Britain who love nothing more than a good old fashioned fry-up to kick-off their day, it is unfortunately our duty to report that scientists are claiming that the egg yolks are ‘almost as bad as smoking’ in regards to the negative effects they can have on health. The debate about how good eggs are for you has been active for a number of years and no doubt this new study to emerge will add fuel to the fire.

The egg is a staple of many Brits’ morning breakfast, with fry-ups or ‘egg and soldiers’ being most common dishes. The bearer of bad news is Dr David Spence from the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. Dr Spence claims that eating egg yolks for a sustained time period can speed up the onset of atherosclerosis. This is where cholesterol and fat begin to build up in the artery walls and then result in the gradual creation hard structures called plaques. The damaged narrow arteries can then restrict blood flow causing organs to stop functioning correctly, or there is a risk of blood clot. When the blood supply to the heart is restricted this could lead to a possible heart attack, or a stroke may be triggered when the brain’s blood supply has been affected.

Dr Spence conducted an analysis of 1,231 participants in total from London Health Sciences Centre’s University Hospital clinics in Ontario. For a fair result, he looked at a mixture of both men and women. The patients had an overall average age of 61.5 and each patient completed a questionnaire that quizzed them about their lifestyle and medicines taken. Dr Spence wanted to know each patient’s pack-years of smoking (number of packs per day of cigarettes times the number of years), and the number of egg yolks roughly eaten per week times the number of years consumed (egg yolk-years).

An ultrasound machine was utilised to assess the total plaque area levels of each person. After thorough analysis it was discovered that carotid plaque area rose linearly with age after 40, but increased exponentially after several years of frequent smoking and egg yolk consumption. It was also observed that the people who typically ate at least three egg yolks per week had notably more plaque area than those who restricted themselves to consuming just two a week.

Dr Spence warned, “The mantra ‘eggs can be part of a healthy diet for healthy people’ has confused the issue. It has been known for a long time that a high cholesterol intake increases the risk of cardiovascular events, and egg yolks have very high cholesterol content. In diabetics, an egg a day increases coronary risk by two to five-fold.”

He continued to stress that regular egg consumption can actually be two-thirds as dangerous as smoking in terms of plaque build-up. In addition, Dr Spence revealed that a typical jumbo sized egg can contain a whopping 237 milligrams of cholesterol, adding, “It’s more than the cholesterol in a Hardee’s monster thick burger which is two-thirds of a pound of beef, three slices of cheese and four slices of bacon.”

Middle aged should take heart, simple chores can boost health

Have you ever come across a ‘sedentary’ slightly overweight middle aged person who has perhaps lived a relatively exercise-free life? No matter how much you try and reason with them about possibly kick-starting an exercise regime or getting more active, they are stubborn and refuse to listen. A common theme is usually ‘I am too old to start exercising now!’ The usual belief is that starting to become more physically active at a slightly older age will do little to help prolong or improve their life, or just a simple lack of interest. This negative mind-set is something Medical Specialists found to be recurring in smokers too, when we reported exactly two months ago that many  of them remarkably believe they are ‘too old’ to quit, which of course is nonsense.

The findings from a new study though could hopefully go some way to help changing people’s attitudes when it comes to getting off their couch and becoming more involved in exercise. The University College London decided to investigate this subject by recruiting 4,200 participants who were all aged in their late 40s to early 50s, and have published their findings in the journal ‘Circulation’.

According to the authors of the study, this age group can still benefit from becoming more active and that simple light activities can go some way to maintain a healthy heart and helping to fight off cardiovascular disease. This even includes simple daily chores such as vigorous gardening, house work and brisk walking. The news may be music to the ears of those around this age that are sometimes too busy to get into the gym and undergo a heavy, strenuous workout.

For the study, Mark Hamer, Ph.D., the study’s lead author and associate professor of epidemiology and public health at the University College, and his colleagues, first tested the subjects from between 1991 to 1993, analysing their baseline numbers for important inflammatory markers, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Those who had done regular activity in this time were discovered to have a reduced level of CRP and IL-6 when compared to those who had not engaged in much activity. This pattern was again evident during the ten year follow up examination. Hamer explains that the decreased levels of CRP and IL-6 in the more active people participants, means they are at a lower risk of heart disease.

Hamer spoke on his findings via a press release and said, “Inflammatory markers are important because we have shown they are a key mechanism explaining the link between physical activity and the lower risk of heart disease. The people who benefited the most from this study were the ones that remained physically active.”

Interestingly, the results were not affected when Hamer and his team considered any factors that could have impacted them, such as smoking or obesity. He says, “We should be encouraging more people to get active – for example, walking instead of taking the bus. You can gain health benefits from moderate activity at any time in your life.”

The team also found that people seem to become more active in their retirement. Only approximately half of the participants in the study bothered to partake in moderate-to-vigorous activity for the recommended 2.5 hours a week for a healthy heart. After retirement, the figure shot up to 83%.

Hamer gave his thoughts on the sudden increase and commented, “The percentage of exercising participants jumped quite a bit because they were entering their retirement during the last phase of the study. We have shown that retirement seems to have a beneficial effect on physical activity levels.”

So, there you have it folks. Here we have clear evidence that you are never too old to make positive changes to your lifestyle and even lengthen your lifespan in the process of doing so. Never think the time has passed for you to get more active, quit those damaging cigarettes, or improve your diet. These are all things you can do TODAY and reap the rewards. Medical Specialists have reported the benefits of statins such as Crestor and Lipitor many times this year; however it seems the cholesterol-busting medications are not the only things that can reduce the risk of heart disease. This study shows that participating in very basic daily activities can help your heart too such as mowing the lawn, cutting those overgrown weeds and walking the dog.

Are electronic cigarettes safe?

Lately,  more and more people are turning to electronic cigarettes (E-cigarettes) to help with smoking cessation. In fact in the UK around 650,000 smokers are thought to be using the inhalers, which look like pens or cigarettes, to help kick the habit.

That number is expected to top 1 million this year with the industry worth £150m in the UK and $520m in theUS. Clearly this is an industry on the rise, but are E-cigarettes truly safe as they claim and has enough research been conducted to confirm this?

One of the main concerns is over the lack of regulation. At present the devices, which are all imported fromChina, do not have to undergo any safety checks before being put on sale in the high street.

Health Ministers Simon Burns expressed his concern about the E- cigarettes when he said: “The available data suggests that there can be great variability in the content of electronic cigarettes, both in the amount of nicotine present and also in relation to other potentially toxic substances.”
“Some electronic cigarettes have been tested by local authority trading standards departments and have been found to pose a potential danger to consumers.”

In fact certain brands have been found to contain high levels of poisonous chemicals including tobacco specific nitrosamines, a substance given off by nicotine which has been shown to cause cancer in rats, Diethylene glycol, a poisonous chemical which is fatal in exceptionally high doses and then there is the fact that the actual nicotine itself has been found in very high levels in some brands.
With all this evidence in mind the Government’s Drugs Watchdog, the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), will make a decision next spring on whether to introduce stricter checks.

Tellingly a New York State Assembly has voted overwhelmingly 125-0 to ban E-cigarettes and they have already been banned in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Mexico and New Zealand. In other countries such as Finland, Malaysia and Singapore, they are under restriction and such rulings are pending in other countries.

Despite all of this, the Government’s Drugs Watchdog the (MHRA) does not want to ban electronic cigarettes completely as it could lead people to go back to ordinary cigarettes. This is a view echoed by Deborah Arnott, spokesman for the charity Action on smoking and health: “We certainly wouldn’t want smokers to think it’s better to go back to using cigarettes rather than E-cigarettes. We just want to see them properly regulated, presently they are made in China but they are not properly regulated on how much nicotine they contain or on their safety quality.”

E-cigarettes are part of a long line of drugs used to help people kick the habit. Before E-cigarettes there was nicotine gum and patches which had limited success but more recently in 2007 a new drug was released called Champix, a drug which contains no nicotine and works by stimulating the nicotine receptors in the brain and thus relieves the craving and withdrawal symptoms you can get when you stop smoking.

Women heavily using fake tan risk fertility complications and birth defects

In a country such as England where the usual weather is dark, gloomy and rain-filled, the chance of developing a natural tan is rather slim. It is now a common occurrence for many men and women to resort to using sunbeds and fake tanning products to achieve the bronzed appearance that so many desire.

The dangers of heavy sunbed use have been widely reported in the news in recent years, with excessive exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation being responsible for an increasing number of young adults being diagnosed with both malignant melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer.

Fake tanning products have long been viewed as the safe option for women to use to avoid the risks with sunbeds; however these products may not be as completely safe as first thought.

In fact, the chemicals used in fake tan are so hazardous that they are now being linked to fertility problems and also increasing the chance of women giving birth to a baby with birth defects.

Just one of the types of these chemicals is carcinogens including formaldehyde and nitrosamines. A carcinogen is a substance or agent that is directly responsible for inducing cancer within humans and animals. They are particularly rife in cigarettes which could partly explain why tobacco smoke has been shown to also cause birth defects if the baby’s mother smokes during pregnancy, with a cleft lip or skull abnormality just two problems that could occur.

As well as carcinogens, it is believed that fake tan comprises of other harmful chemicals and skin irritants that may cause allergies to worsen, which is not good news for the millions of hay fever sufferers in the UK who are already suffering with the unexpected warm weather this week.

Elizabeth Salter-Green from UK charity the Chem Trust, says, “Many of the chemicals in fake tan are toxic to reproduction and can harm a foetus.” Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of the European Environment Agency, further spoke about the dangers of fake tan and said they could be a contributing factor responsible for the surge in cases of cancers, diabetes, obesity and falling fertility.

The primary ingredient in the fake tanning products is the chemical compound dihydroxyacetone. The chemical works with the skin’s amino acids to transform the colour to brown. However, once sprayed there is a risk of the person inhaling the substance and it going straight into the bloodstream.

Scientists in the US now claim that this could result in DNA damage, tumours, and the aggravation of numerous lung conditions such as emphysema and asthma. Dr Lynn Goldman dean of the School of Public Health and Health Services at George Washington University, in Washington DC, says, “What we’re concerned about is not so much that reaction that creates the tanning, but reactions that may occur deeper down with living cells that might then change DNA, causing a mutation, and what the possible impacts of that might be.”

It seems even the risk of cancer cannot persuade Brits to drop their excess baggage

Brits do not seem to possess enough motivation to shift those extra pounds it seems according to findings published this week by Cancer Research UK. At Medical Specialists Pharmacy we have already looked into many serious health issues that are directly linked to obesity such as lumbar disc degeneration of the back, and how having a poor diet is linked to high blood pressure and erectile dysfunction.

Cancer Research UK say there is an increasing number of kidney and womb cancer cases being diagnosed, and that more and more of these can be linked to obesity. Smoking is still the main culprit for causing cancer, but being overweight or obese comes in second in terms of cancer risks that you can actually do something about to avoid.  In fact recent data compiled by Cancer Research UK, showed that more than four in 10 cancers could be prevented by people making positive changes to their lifestyle.

Amongst those who answered questions for Cancer Research UK’s latest study, 68% of the overweight women claimed that they lacked the required willpower to lose weight. This was 8% more than the men who admitted the same thing. Overall, 87% of those surveyed did say they wanted to lose weight, but then problems such as ‘having too many other things to worry about’ and ‘ trying it before and not being successful’ were listed as reasons that eventually prevented them for losing weight.

In the midst of a recession, it can be understandable that a lack of money could be one of the main things people are ‘worrying’ about these days. But surely your short and long-term health is just as important? Overweight and obese individuals may regret the decision to decide to give up the admittedly tasking chore of losing those love handles, but bear in mind just some of the many health risks that are associated with obesity:

. High blood pressure (hypertension).
. Type 2 diabetes.
. High cholesterol.
. Joint and back pains.
. Severe tiredness or the inability to exert energy into physical activity.
. Poor circulation, ultimately leading to erectile dysfunction, as explained in great detail here.
. Psychological problems such as low self-esteem, confidence and feeling isolated.

Dr Harpal Kumar is chief executive for Cancer Research UK and he gave his views on the obesity crisis, “Unless we tackle the obesity epidemic in the UK, we risk cancer cases soaring. We understand that it can be extremely hard for people to maintain a healthy weight but keeping those extra pounds at bay could ultimately save your life.”

Dr Susan Jebb, head of diet and population health at the Medical Research Council, added to Dr Kumar’s comments and said, “It’s encouraging that most people recognise a poor diet and lack of physical activity significantly increase their risk of developing cancer. But it’s also clear that most people find it hard to turn their good intentions – to eat better and move more – into sustained changes in their lifestyle.  This gap between knowledge and behaviour helps to explain why the number of people who are obese is continuing to increase. Research shows that to make sustained changes in diet and physical activity people need tangible support from family, friends or health professionals. In the longer term, it’s important that the places we live and work make the healthier choice the easier choice, so healthy living becomes a way of life, not a matter of personal willpower.”

Studies find smoking is connected to both skin cancer and cognitive decline

Two English studies have been published this month that further highlight the health dangers of smoking. Only a few weeks ago, Medical Specialists Pharmacy touched upon just some of the many negative impacts that smoking has on the body, and how the myth of being ‘too old’ to quit, is not true. Our arguments about how detrimental cigarettes are to a person’s health have been backed-up by the two new studies to emerge.

The first was conducted by experts at the University College London and has been made available in the June issue of Archives of General Psychiatry. The authors analysed data extracted from the ‘Whitehall II study’, which was an on-going process that studied cigarette smoking habits and effects in 7,236 British Civil Service employees and first started in 1985, running through until 2009. Of the subjects in the study, 5,099 were male and 2,137 were female.

It was determined that middle-aged men who smoke are more likely to see deterioration in functions related to cognition (i.e. memory, perception, problem-solving, attention, etc.). A vast decline was especially shown when comparing male smokers to males who had never lit up. Strangely, the difference in cognitive function in women was shown to be minimal when comparing female smokers to females who had never previously smoked.

Lead author Dr. Severine Sabia, had this to say on the results, “There is increasing evidence that smoking is a risk factor for dementia. However, its impact on cognitive decline and particularly on cognitive decline in early old age remained unclear.” Dr. Sabia further went to on to explain the difference in results for the sexes and said, “Several reasons could explain the fact that we did not find an effect in women. First, our sample was composed of less women than men, reducing the probability to find an association in women. Furthermore, it is possible that smoking behaviour is differently associated with other behaviour in men and women.”

The second study that demonstrates the bad effects of smoking emanates from experts at the University of Nottingham and was published one week ago in the Archives of Dermatology. This study has linked the smoking of cigarettes and other tobacco as leading to a heightened chance of having cutaneous cell carcinoma (SCC).

Squamous cell skin cancer can show anywhere on the body, but is usually evident on areas exposed to the sun such as the face, ears, neck, hands, or arms. SCCs will often appear red and scaly in appearance and is currently the second most common skin cancer with an incidence rate of approximately 10,000 per year in England and Wales, particularly higher in Caucasians. If detected at an early age, cases are nearly always treatable and the patient can make a full recovery. However if the symptoms are ignored for an extended period, this can leave the person disfigured and may even prove fatal.

Lead author of this latest analysis on smoking, was Dr. Jo Leonardi-Bee. She and colleagues reviewed 25 separate studies and came to the conclusion that smoking is ‘significantly associated’ with cutaneous SCC, but that smoking does not increase risk for basal cell carcinoma (BCC). The authors are not surprised at this finding though as nonmelanoma skin cancers are heterogenous, with differing causes and prognoses. The authors explain why BCCs are not linked to smoking, “For example, BCC is slow growing and locally invasive, in contrast to cutaneous SCC, which is generally more aggressive and has the potential to metastasize. Therefore, it would be expected that the effect of smoking on the risk of the diseases would also vary considerably between the subtypes of nonmelanoma skin cancer.”

They add that their findings are based on data across studies from 11 countries and 4 continents, so should be taken seriously to a certain degree. The authors are not fully certain as to how smoking contributes to cutaneous SCC, but suggest it could be down to a decreased immune function or the carcinogenic properties within tobacco.

Spain prepares for anti-smoking laws

On Sunday the 2^nd of January Spain will find that smoking a cigarette with a drink at their local bar - has overnight become illegal. One of the laxest anti-smoking laws in Europe will have become one of the strictest, along with that of Ireland.

Spanish smokers will no longer be able to light up in bars, restaurants and cafes as new legislation takes effect that bans smoking in all enclosed public spaces. It will also be illegal to smoke in children's playgrounds and on school or hospital grounds, according to the law, which received final approval from parliament on December 21.

Spain already has an anti-smoking law, in force since January 2006. But it is less restrictive than that in other European countries, which bans smoking in the workplace, on public transport and in shops. It allows owners of bars, restaurants and cafes to decide whether to allow smoking or not. Most, faced with a drop in business, naturally chose to permit their customers to light up.

The new measures take effect nearly seven years after Ireland became the first European country to outlaw smoking in public places, a move that unleashed a domino effect across Europe in favour of smoke-free bars and cafes.

In the UK smoking has been banned since 2007 and has been enforced strictly and all bars and pubs have slowly complied and people have gotten used to it. It has been reported that since the smoking ban in 2007 half the people who where smoking now have quit.

So what seems like a New Year’s resolution for the UK population will be law for the Spanish. But for people who are considering quitting smoking for the New Year Champix has been a big success since its release an even the Government handing Champix out for people who are considered eligible.

For more information on Champix please visit Buy Champix Online.

Smoking cause over 30% of severe rheumatoid arthritis cases

Smoking cigarettes and cigars is thought to behind more than 30% of all cases of severe rheumatoid arthritis, research suggests. It is also to blame for more than 50% of cases in people who are genetically predisposed to developing the debilitating condition, a Swedish study found.

Around 350,000 people in the UK are affected by rheumatoid arthritis (RA). It is an autoimmune disease which occurs when the body's immune system attacks the lining of the joints, causing them to become red, swollen, inflamed and painful. It is three times more common in women than men.

In the study, more than 1,200 Swedish men and women with RA, and 871 without the condition were questioned about their smoking habits. They were then grouped according to how long they had smoked. Blood samples were also taken to measure levels of anticitrullinated protein/peptide antibody (ACPA), a marker for disease severity, and to assess the participants’ genetic profile for susceptibility to RA.

The findings showed that the heaviest smokers were more than 2.5 times as likely to test positive for ACPA. A heavy smoker was defined as someone who had smoked 20 cigarettes a day for at least 20 years. Among those who had a genetic predisposition to the disease, and who tested positive for ACPA, smoking accounted for more than half the cases (55 per cent). Those who smoked the most had the highest risk. They  also found that the risk of RA fell for people who had quit smoking, the longer they had given up smoking. However, among the heaviest smokers, the risk was still relatively high, even after 20 years of not having smoked.

Based on these figures, the researchers calculated that smoking accounted for 35 per cent of ACPA positive cases, and one in five cases of rheumatoid arthritis, overall.

Although the risk of RA from smoking is not as high as for lung cancer, where smoking accounts for 90 per cent of cases, it is similar to that for coronary artery heart disease, said the researchers. The researchers, from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said other environmental factors may add to an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis, including air pollutants and hormonal factors. But they suggest that their findings are sufficient to prompt those with a family history of rheumatoid arthritis to be advised to give up smoking.

The above findings are published in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

If you or your partner are worried about smoking and the effects it could be having on you or your family there are options available. Firstly a visit to your local GP is in order for advice and guidance on how to stop smoking.

 

There also may be a local NHS Stop Smoking Services, which could give you the extra support you need to quit.

There are also treatments widely available on the market today such as Champix the smoking cessation treatment. If you would like further information on where to buy Champix online please visit www.medical-specialists.co.uk