Research

U.S. heart disease costs expected to soar
A new report from the American Heart Association estimates that U.S. healthcare costs associated with heart disease and stroke are expected to triple over the next twenty years. Heart disease prevalence was estimated using data from the 1999-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) and projected population counts from the Census Bureau. Direct medical costs were estimated using 2001-2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey results, and indirect costs from lost productivity were also assessed. The final estimates show that by 2030, 116 million Americans (40.5%) will be affected by heart disease. Related healthcare costs are expected to climb from the current level of $273 billion to $818 billion, and costs from lost productivity to increase from $172 billion to $276 billion. The researchers suggest that population-level prevention efforts to encourage Americans to improve their diets, increase their physical activity, and quit smoking would help to reduce future heart disease prevalence and cut healthcare costs. Click here to read more, or click here to read the abstract of the study, published in Circulation.

Smoking linked to Lou Gehrig's disease
A new study published in the Archives of Neurology shows that cigarette smoking may be associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease), a fatal disease that destroys connections between the brain and the rest of the body, leading to a loss of muscle control. Researchers used data from five large cohort studies that followed the smoking status of over a million participants for between 7 and 28 years, and linked the data to information in a national database of deaths from ALS. They found that current and former smokers had a 44% and 42% higher risk, respectively, of dying from ALS than never-smokers. The results also show that the risk of developing ALS increased with earlier age of smoking initiation, although there was no association between ALS risk and pack-years smoked, duration of smoking, or number of cigarettes smoked per day. While this study does not prove that smoking is a cause of ALS, it does suggest that smoking and ALS risk are in some way linked. Click here to read more, or click here to read the study abstract.

Smoking slightly increases the risk of breast cancer, a new study shows
A new study indicates that cigarette smoking is associated with a small increase in the risk of developing breast cancer. Researchers followed a cohort of 111,140 women participating in the Nurses’ Health Study for thirty years to examine the link between smoking and breast cancer risk. The results showed that the chances of developing breast cancer increased by 6% among smokers compared to nonsmokers; the risk increased to 18% among women who began smoking before they had their first child. While smoking did not have a large effect on breast cancer risk by itself, the findings support the existing evidence of negative health effects associated with tobacco use. Read more about the study here, or read the abstract of the study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Smoking explains why Americans don't live longer
According to a new report by the National Research Council, life expectancies in the U.S. are lower than in other industrialized countries, largely due to widespread tobacco use in the past. The report found that while the U.S. life expectancy has increased over the past two decades, it has not risen as quickly as in other high-income countries. It further shows that in the late 20th century, smoking rates were far higher in the U.S. than in other industrialized, high-income countries, resulting in a divergence in life expectancies as the smokers aged. Factors such as obesity, diet, exercise, and economic inequality are also suspected to have played a role in America’s lagging life expectancies. The researchers believe the impact of America’s history of smoking is appearing in the public health data now, and that U.S. life expectancies will improve now that the smoking prevalence is lower. Read more here, or click here to access the report.

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