Research

New findings back smoking-stillbirth link
A new study provides convincing evidence of the link between maternal smoking and stillbirth outcomes. To examine this association, Swedish researchers analyzed data from a nationwide birth registry of 526,691 women who gave birth to two children between 1983 and 2001. Primary results indicate that women who smoked during both pregnancies had a 35 percent greater risk of delivering the second child stillborn compared to never-smokers. Moreover, heavy smokers had a 45 percent greater risk of delivering the second baby stillborn. Interestingly, women who smoked during the first but not the second pregnancy were not at increased risk for stillbirth compared to never-smokers. Click here to read more about the research, published in BJOG: An International Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
           
More muscle for the argument to give up smoking
A recent study has demonstrated that smoking is associated with decreased muscle mass in older age. Sixteen healthy, lung-disease free people participated in the study, half of the participants were heavy smokers, while the other half were non-smokers. To assess muscle synthesis, researchers injected each participant with an amino acid marker, and compared pre- and post-injection levels of the amino acid. They found that smokers had significantly lower levels of the amino acid compared to non-smokers, which suggests that smokers lose muscle mass at a faster rate than non-smokers. Click here to read more about the research, presented at Life Science 2007.

Studies show smoking leads to increased hearing loss
A series of recent research studies has provided convincing evidence that smokers have on average a 70 percent greater risk of developing hearing loss than non-smokers. Surprisingly, the researchers found that much of this hearing loss is already in place in young smokers. Among people younger than 35, four and a half percent of the general population experiences hearing loss, compared to 43 percent of smokers. While smokers over the age of 35 are still more likely to experience hearing loss than non-smokers, the difference is not nearly as striking. The researchers posit that smoking inhibits the flow of oxygen to the inner ear, which results in permanent damage to hair cells. To read more about the studies, click here.

Early smoking boosts women’s breast cancer risk
A recent study has provided evidence that the risk of developing breast cancer is more associated with smoking before a woman has a child than after. In order to elucidate the association between smoking at different ages and the risk of developing breast cancer, Korean researchers surveyed 56,042 women at two time points: once between 1983 and 1993, when all participants were free of breast cancer, and again between 1994 and 1998. For women who had children, the amount of cigarettes they smoked before giving birth to their first child was associated with breast cancer risk. Moreover, the risk increased with the number of pack-years. Conversely, the researchers did not find an association between pack-years smoked after the first child was born and risk of developing breast cancer. Click here to read more about the study, which was recently published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Smoking may bring on early menopause
Results of a recent study suggest that women who smoke may be more likely to begin menopause before the age of 45 than women who do not smoke. Norwegian researchers analyzed 2,123 women aged 59 or 60 and discovered that the current smokers were 59 percent more likely to have entered menopause early. The researchers note that this trend is alarming, because menopausal women are at an increased risk of developing osteoporosis and heart disease. Click here to read more.

Gene variations directly link to increased lung cancer risk
A new study has pinpointed the process by which damage to the lung can lead to inflammation that leads to the development of lung cancer. In order to better understand this relationship, researchers examined differences in genes related to inflammation in a group of lung cancer patients and a group of healthy controls. They observed that the extent of inflammation was determined by variations in two genes, and the effect of these genes in heavy smokers was especially strong. In particular, they found a more frequent occurrence of a type of interleukin among the lung cancer patients, and notably among heavy smokers. Click here to read more about the study, which was recently published in the July 1 issue of Cancer Research.

Prevent smoking to reduce risk of erectile dysfunction
A recent study has uncovered an association between cigarette smoking and the presence of erectile dysfunction in adult men. Researchers at Tulane University surveyed 7,684 men in China between the ages of 35 and 74 and asked them about their smoking behavior and symptoms of erectile dysfunction. The research team found that the likelihood of suffering from erectile dysfunction increased as the number of cigarettes smoked increased, and that this association was particularly strong for diabetics. Approximately 22.7% of erectile dysfunction cases in Chinese men may be explained by cigarette smoking. To read more about the study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, click here.

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