Early Morning Smoking Riskier For Cancer

Smokers who light up right after they wake up in the morning may be at greater risk for lung, head and neck cancers than those who wait longer before having their first cigarette of the day, a new study finds.
The study was released online Aug. 8 in advance of publication in an upcoming print issue of the journal Cancer.
"These smokers have higher levels of nicotine and possibly other tobacco toxins in their body, and they may be more addicted than smokers who refrain from smoking for a half hour or more," said Joshua Muscat, of Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, in a journal news release. "It may be a combination of genetic and personal factors that cause a higher dependence to nicotine."
In the study, researchers compared 4,775 lung cancer patients with 2,835 smokers who didn't have cancer. They found that those who smoked 31 to 60 minutes after waking up were 1.3 times more likely to develop lung cancer than those who waited at least an hour before lighting up. Meanwhile, those who smoked within 30 minutes of waking up were 1.79 times more likely to develop lung cancer.
In a separate analysis, the investigators compared 1,055 smokers with head and neck cancer with 795 smokers without the disease. Those who smoked 31 to 60 minutes after waking up were 1.42 times more likely to develop cancer than those who waited more than 60 minutes to have a cigarette. Smokers who had their first cigarette within a half hour of waking up were 1.59 times more likely to develop head and neck cancer.
The findings suggest the desire to have a cigarette immediately after waking up may increase smokers' risk for cancer, the researchers concluded. As a result, these smokers would benefit from smoking cessation programs that specifically target this early morning behavior and the greater risks involved, they added.

Smoking Linked to Raised Risk of Irregular Heartbeat, Study Finds

Smoking increases the risk of developing a heart rhythm disorder called atrial fibrillation, a new study warns.
U.S. researchers reviewed data from more than 15,000 people, aged 45 to 64, who were followed for an average of 13 years, and found that there were 876 atrial fibrillation events during that time.
The risk of the abnormal heart rhythm was 1.32 times higher in former smokers and two times higher in current smokers, compared to people who never smoked, according to the report in the August issue of the journal HeartRhythm.
Atrial fibrillation "is a serious health issue that decreases quality of life and significantly increases the risk of stroke," co-author Alanna M. Chamberlain, of the department of health sciences research at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., said in a journal news release.
About 160,000 new cases of atrial fibrillation are diagnosed each year in the United States. Previous research has identified a number of risk factors for atrial fibrillation, including obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes.

Smokers Mistakenly Believe Vitamins Protect Them From Cancer

Smokers who take a multivitamin pill may think they can smoke more because the supplement protects them from the harmful affects of cigarettes, according to a new study.
Researchers found that some people who smoke mistakenly believe the vitamins will reduce their risk of cancer, allowing them to light up more often. The study noted that such trading of a virtuous behavior for a subsequent indulgence, known as the "licensing effect," could undermine smokers' urge to kick the addiction.
"Smokers who take dietary supplements can fool themselves into thinking they are protected against cancer and other diseases. Reminding health-conscious smokers that multivitamins don't prevent cancer may help them control their smoking or even encourage them to stop," said the study's lead author, Wen-Bin Chiou in a journal news release.
The study, published online Aug. 2 in the journal Addiction, involved two experiments. In the first experiment, a group of 74 daily smokers were given a placebo (dummy) pill, but half were told they were taking a vitamin C pill. After taking the pills, the smokers were allowed to smoke freely as they took an unrelated hour-long survey.

Researchers found the smokers who thought they had taken vitamins smoked nearly twice as many cigarettes than those who knew they took the placebo. They also reported having greater feelings of invincibility.
In the second study, 80 smokers were also given a placebo, with half being told they were taking a multivitamin. Afterwards, they were allowed to smoke while they took a survey, which contained questions about their attitudes towards multivitamins.

Not only did those who took multivitamins smoke more, but those who reported believing in the health benefits of vitamins had a greater surge in their feelings of invincibility and smoked still more than those who were less optimistic about the vitamins' effects.
The study's authors concluded health-conscious smokers who take vitamins may wrongly feel less vulnerable to the harmful effects of cigarettes. As a result, the researchers added, they may smoke more, increasing their overall health risks.

Eight Loss May Boost Sex Life of Obese, Diabetic Men

Weight loss improves the sexual health of obese men with type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.
Australian researchers placed 31 obese men with type 2 diabetes on either a meal replacement-based low-calorie diet or a low-fat, high-protein, reduced-carbohydrate diet meant to decrease calorie intake by 600 calories a day.
A modest weight loss of 5 percent led to an easing of erectile dysfunction and improved sexual desire within eight weeks, and these improvements continued for 12 months, according to the study published Aug. 5 in The Journal of Sexual Medicine. Problems with urinary tract function also improved, the team added.
"Our findings are consistent with the evidence that not only erectile function, but also lower urinary tract symptoms are a marker of cardio-metabolic risk," noted Gary Wittert, of the University of Adelaide, in a journal news release.
The findings support previous research showing that lifestyle changes can have a positive effect on sexual function, according to journal editor-in-chief Irwin Goldstein.
"At a time when oral drugs are very popular, it can now be shown that weight loss is an important non-pharmacologic therapeutic intervention in restoring erectile and urinary function and cardiovascular health," he said in the news release.

Health Tip: Long-Term Complications of Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic disease characterized by elevated levels of blood sugar.

The U.S. National Library of Medicine mentions these possible long-term complications of uncontrolled diabetes:

• Hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).
• Damage to the kidneys, nerves and eyes.
• Erectile dysfunction.
• High cholesterol.
• High blood pressure.
• Infections of the urinary tract or skin.
• Stroke.
• Peripheral vascular disease.

However, good blood glucose control can help prevent these complications.