Smoking

Heart takes 25 years to heal naturally when you quit smoking, study reveals

According to a Korean study conducted on 5.3 million people, the heart may take several decades to match the condition of non-smokers naturally after quitting smoking

Life expectancy in men could rise by a yr on cutting down smoking: Lancet

Cutting down smoking to five per cent of current rates by 2050 would increase life expectancy by a year among men and 0.2 years in women, according to recent global modelling studies published in The Lancet Public Health journal. The researchers found that based on current trends, smoking rates around the world could continue to reduce to 21 per cent in men and about four per cent in women by 2050. Along with improving life expectancy, accelerating efforts to eliminate tobacco smoking could avoid 876 million years of lives lost to death, researchers forming the Global Burden of Disease, Injuries and Risk Factors (GBD) Tobacco Forecasting Collaborators said. They also found that banning sales of cigarettes and other tobacco products could prevent 1.2 million lung cancer deaths across 185 countries by 2095. Of these deaths, nearly two-thirds would be averted in low- and middle-income countries, because they tend to have more younger populations compared to high-income ones, the author

Cancer risk from some pesticides comparable to that due to smoking: Study

The effect of exposure to certain pesticides "rivalled" that of smoking in increasing cancer risk in farmers, according to a US study that compiled 69 such chemicals, including four commonly used in India. Researchers found that for three types of cancer -- non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, leukemia and bladder cancer -- the effects of pesticide exposure were "more pronounced" than those of smoking, widely acknowledged as a cancer risk factor. "We present a list of major pesticide contributors for some specific cancers but we highlight strongly that it is the combination of all of them and not just a single one that matters," senior author Isain Zapata, an associate professor at the Rocky Vista University, US, said. The list, compiled in the study published in the journal Frontiers in Cancer Control and Society, features 69 pesticides, including 2,4-D, Acephate, Metolachlor, Methomyl. These four are among many commonly used in India to combat various threats to crop yields, such as insects an

Where fingers move fast but not wages, Bengal's bidi belt votes on May 7

Tardy uniform wage implementation, health hazard plague workers

No Smoking Day 2024: All you need to know about best ways to quit smoking

No Smoking Day is celebrated every year across the world to spread awareness about the bad impacts of smoking. It urges individuals to stop smoking and promotes a smoke-free environment

No Smoking Day 2024: Everything you need to know about harmful disease

National No Smoking Day is a yearly health awareness day in the UK, planning to inspire and support smokers to stop for good. This day presents the ideal chance to take that crucial step

Karnataka stops sale and consumption of 'hookah' with immediate effect

The government noted that hookah in hotels, bars and cafes have made food consumption unsafe for the overall population and could adversely affect their health

Drug firm Lupin introduces smoking cessation generic product in US market

Drug firm Lupin on Wednesday said it has launched a product, used as an aid to smoking cessation treatment, in the US market. The company has launched Varenicline tablets in strengths of 0.5 mg and 1 mg, after having received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), the Mumbai-based drug maker said in a regulatory filing. The company's product is the generic equivalent of PF Prism CV's Chantix tablets, it added. It is indicated for use as an aid to smoking cessation treatment. As per the IQVIA data, Varenicline tablets had estimated annual sales of USD 412 million in the US. Shares of the company were trading 0.75 per cent up at Rs 1,406.50 apiece on the BSE.

Smoking killing 1.3 million in 7 countries including India annually: Lancet

Over 1.3 million lives are lost every year to cancers caused by smoking tobacco across seven countries, including India, according to a study published in The Lancet's eClinicalMedicine journal. Researchers found that together, the seven countries -- India, China, the UK, Brazil, Russia, the US and South Africa -- represented more than half of the global burden of cancer deaths every year. They noted that smoking, as well as three other preventable risk factors -- alcohol, obesity, and human papillomavirus (HPV) infections -- caused almost two million deaths combined. The study, carried out by researchers from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) and Kings College London, UK, also analysed the years of life lost to cancer. The researchers concluded that the four preventable risk factors resulted in over 30 million years of life lost each year. Smoking tobacco had by far the biggest impact - leading to 20.8 million years of l

No compromise on OTT rules on display of anti-tobacco warnings: Govt

There is no compromise on OTT Rules 2023 requiring online streaming platforms to incorporate anti-tobacco warnings in their content, the Union Health Ministry asserted on Saturday and warned of action in case of non-compliance. The ministry termed as "false, misleading and based on misrepresented facts" a media report that recently claimed that the Union Government has reached an uneasy compromise with OTT (over-the-top) streaming services on adding smoking warnings to their content. "The report further claims that some platforms have chosen less intrusive warnings as a result of such an agreement. "The media report is not factually correct and does not reflect the correct picture of the Union Government's commitment towards improving public health as one of its priority duties," the ministry said in a statement. Considering public health as a priority issue, the government has extended the COTP (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products) film rules to OTT platforms also. The OTT Rul

Experts criticise proposal to tag nicotine therapy as prescription drugs

It may hinder accessibility for smokers attempting to quit, they say

Experts not in favour of nicotine replacement therapy as prescription drug

Nicotine replacement therapies are safe and empower individuals to quit smoking, a group of doctors have said while expressing concern over the proposal to reclassify them as prescription drugs. Experts feel the move to reclassify them as prescription drugs will limit their accessibility to those seeking to stop tobacco consumption. The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) under the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has proposed to place nicotine replacement therapies under Schedule K of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules so that in future they would be available only on the prescription of authorised medical practitioners and not as over-the-counter preparation. Nicotine polacrilex gums, lozenges and transdermal patches are used for nicotine replacement therapies (NRT). NRT offers a 50 per cent higher probability of quitting smoking compared to attempting to quit without it, and it is both safe and readily available without the need for a prescription, experts have .

Possession of e-cigarettes violation of law, says health ministry

Possession of e-cigarettes and similar devices in any form, quantity or manner is in violation of the Prohibition of Electronic Cigarette Act (PECA) 2019, the Union Health Ministry said in a clarification. The clarification was sent to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MCA) last month, official sources said, adding it will strengthen the enforcement of the ban. he ministry said that though there is no explicit mention of prohibition of individual use of e-cigarette in PECA, the law has been enacted to prohibit the production, manufacture, import, export, transport, sale, distribution, storage and advertisement of e- cigarettes. "Therefore, possession of e-cigarette within the country in any quantity is not possible without contravening the provisions of PECA, 2019, said Dr Pulkesh Kumar, Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Health. The ban includes a prohibition on all forms of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems, Heat Not Burn Products, e-Hookah and similar devices. The law was enacted i

UK might ban smoking: Here's what the Indian law says about smoking

In 2004, Bhutan became the first country in the world to completely ban the cultivation, harvesting, production, and sale of tobacco products

Report violations of e-cigarette sales ban on portal: Govt to states

The Centre has asked states to report on its portal information on the availability of e-cigarettes on online shopping sites and retail shops despite a ban on it since 2019. The portal www.violation-reporting.in will help the Union Health Ministry collate information and take swift action on reported violations, an official source told PTI. The Prohibition of Electronic Cigarettes (Production, Manufacture, Import, Export, Transport, Sale, Distribution, Storage and Advertisement) Act (PECA) came into force in 2019. There seems to be a lack of awareness about the portal which was launched in May, an official source said, adding anyone can report violations of the PECA and the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act-2003 on the website. The communication from the Union Health Ministry to the states was issued on the same day the Centre sent notices to 15 websites selling e-cigarettes, directing them to stop advertisement and sale of the banned products. Six more websites are on the

Plea to I&B on smoking, tobacco warning: Prevent authority duplication

The OCCPs' letter argues that the I&B Ministry drafted the IT rules of 2021 only after a detailed study of global best practices, making them well-founded

Enhanced tax, regulation needed against the beedi industry: Research

A recent study has recommended that enhanced tax and strengthened regulatory measures against the beedi industry, in line with other tobacco products, may lead to its reduced consumption and avert associated mortalities. The study was conducted by the School of Public Health at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Jodhpur in collaboration with the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease. The study report was released on Friday. It recommended that considering the health, environmental and economic burden due to the beedi consumption to its users, the industry should lose the status of "cottage industry". The report, "Navigating the Implications of Beedi Regulation and Taxation", stated tax increase in base price drives the revenue gain, while increased MRP will determine the decrease in demand. It presented three different projections -- firstly by increasing product regulations, secondly by increasing taxes and third by doing both ...

Loneliness poses health risks as deadly as daily smoking: US surgeon

Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking a dozen cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic. About half of U.S. adults say they've experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an 81-page report from his office. We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It's like hunger or thirst. It's a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing, Murthy told The Associated Press in an interview. Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that's not right. That's why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing. The declaration is intended to raise awareness around loneliness but won't unlock federal funding or programming devoted to combatting the issue. Research shows that Americans, who have become less .

Gen Z's clean living means decline in 'sin tax' by £14 bn for UK

Revenue from tobacco now makes up just 1% of total public sector receipts, down from 1.9% two decades ago. Alcohol brings in 1.3% of receipts, shrinking from 1.7%

Study by AIIMS-Gorakhpur reveals relation of smoke, severity of Covid-19

A study led by the AIIMS-Gorakhpur has showed a link between secondhand smoke and the severity of COVID-19 in non-smokers. According to the first-of-its-kind study conducted across six states, reported exposure to second-hand smoke at home and the workplace significantly increased the chances of developing severe COVID-19 compared to those not exposed to it. "The health risks due to exposure to SHS is in infringement to basic human right to life," said Dr Surekha Kishore, executive director of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh. "Findings of our multi-centre study demonstrate that exposure to secondhand smoke increases vulnerability to COVID-19 severity in non-smokers. "I congratulate the government for initiating the amendment of COTPA (Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act) 2003 and urge it to expedite this process so that non-smokers can be protected from being exposed directly and indirectly to tobacco products," she said. While .