Research

Link between smoking and cataracts discovered
New research suggests a link between smoking and the development of cataracts. A meta-analysis that included cohorts from case control studies from five continents was conducted to determine the impact of smoking on the development of age-related cataracts, which lead to vision loss and blindness. Participants that smoked cigarettes were compared with those who never smoked, and the data show that a history of ever smoking was associated with higher risk of developing age-related cataracts. A higher risk of age-related cataracts was found in those who were current smokers, compared to former smokers. Cataracts are treatable; however, treatment can be expensive. This study provides evidence that identifying the link between smoking and cataracts is an opportunity to examine possible preventive measures that can be taken to prevent the public from engaging in behaviors that increase the risk of suffering from this disease. Click here to read more, or click here for the abstract of this study, which was published in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

Women who quit smoking do live longer
According to data gathered from Great Britain’s Million Women Study, women who quit smoking are at a reduced risk for mortality compared to women who continue to smoke. About 1.3 million women with the average age of 55 were surveyed as a part of the Great Britain’s Million Women Study conducted between 1996 and 2001. Two-thirds of the identified smokers died from smoking-related illnesses, losing about ten years of lifespan, on average. The evidence suggests that while smoking until the age of 40 presented health hazards, continuing to smoke past that age can lead to hazards that are ten times greater. Quitting smoking before the age of 40 was associated with the avoidance of 90% of the excess mortality related to continued smoking past the age of 40, and quitting before the age of 30 prevents more than 97%. These findings suggest that smoking at any age is related to adverse health effects; however, the earlier women quit smoking, the longer their expected lifespan will be. Click here to read more about this study published in The Lancet. Click here to read the study abstract.

Smoking raises risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the skin in women
A recent study published in Cancer Causes and Control states that females who smoke regularly have three times the risk of developing skin cancer versus nonsmokers. The participants were comprised of 695 adults (380 with skin cancer and 315 control participants with no current or past skin cancers) who completed a questionnaire regarding their present and past smoking status. Among both males and females, having ever smoked a cigarette was associated with an increased risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), a type of skin cancer. Amount of use was also identified as being associated with risk for developing SCC among both sexes. Smoking is associated with a number of negative health outcomes, and this study suggests that having ever smoked and the amount which one smoked is associated with an increased risk of developing SCC, especially among women. Click here to read more about this study. Click here to access the study abstract.

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