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** 25 July 2023
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** UK
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** ‘Catastrophic’ forecast shows 9m people in England with major illnesses by 2040 (#1)
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** Opinion: The science is clear. So why can’t governments agree on vaping? (#2)
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** International
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** New stop smoking pill gives hope to smokers trying to give up, as trial shows a third quit after just two months (#3)
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** USA: Experts share 8 healthy habits to help you live longer (#4)
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** UK
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** ‘Catastrophic’ forecast shows 9m people in England with major illnesses by 2040

Nine million people in England will be living with major illnesses such as dementia, diabetes, cancer, depression and kidney disease by 2040, according to projections health leaders called “catastrophic”.

In a rapidly ageing population, the number living with serious diseases will rise from almost one in six of the adult population in 2019, to nearly one in five by 2040, with huge implications for the NHS, social care and the public finances.

An extra 2.5 million people will be living with major illnesses, up 37% to 9.1 million compared with 2019, according to the report by the Health Foundation.

Cases of dementia are expected to rise 45% by 2040, heart failure by 92%, cancer by 31%, diabetes by 49%, chronic pain by 32% and anxiety or depression by 16%.
By the age of 70, people will have an average of three long-term conditions, rising to more than five by the age of 85, researchers said.

Four-fifths of the rise in major illnesses will be driven by an ageing population, with longer lifespans meaning people are more likely to encounter – and live with – ill health. About 80% (2 million people) of the projected increase in people living with major illnesses will be among the over-70s.

The report said: “There is no silver bullet to reduce the growth in the number of people living with major illness. A long-term plan is needed to reform, modernise and invest in the NHS, alongside a bold new approach to investing in the nation’s health and wellbeing.”

Dr Sarah Clarke, the president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “The projections laid out in the Health Foundation’s report will quite frankly be catastrophic – for people and their families, for the health of the NHS and its workforce, and for the prosperity of the nation.

“We know that much of this illness is avoidable – it’s caused by smoking, poor housing, unemployment, poor food and air quality, and obesity. We need a strategy that pulls at every policy lever available in order to build a healthier society and economy.”

Source: The Guardian, 25 July 2023

See also: The Health Foundation - Health in 2040 ([link removed])
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** Opinion: The science is clear. So why can’t governments agree on vaping?

Writing for POLITCO, Ashleigh Furlong, a health care reporter, explores the differing opinions on vaping despite having access to the same evidence. Furlong writes that the divide between the differing approaches to vapes is how the scientific evidence should be translated into policy.

Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, who led a 2022 Cochrane review, says that they found e-cigarettes to be twice as effective as traditional nicotine replacement therapy such as patches or gum in helping people quit smoking.

However, there are those who are concerned about e-cigarettes. Adriana Blanco Marquizo, head of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Secretariat, says governments should be cautious due to a lack of long-term research on the effects of vaping.

Speaking to John Britton, the former director of the U.K. Centre for Tobacco & Alcohol Studies Furlong notes his view that many organisations have not updated their position in light of emerging evidence and as a result are “trapped” in outdated positions that do not reflect that vaping is a far safer than smoking and therefore should be available to smokers as a cessation aid.

Furlong concludes by stating that both sides of the divide can agree on one thing: that the tobacco industry’s involvement in vaping has “clouded the policy debate”.

Source: POLITICO, 17 July 2023

See also: Cochrane review - Electronic cigarettes for smoking cessation ([link removed])
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** International
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** New stop smoking pill gives hope to smokers trying to give up, as trial shows a third quit after just two months

A drug made from East Asian trees can help a third of smokers quit after just two months, according to a new trial.

Cytisinicline, a daily tablet, was found to keep smokers off cigarettes for at least five and a half months. If approved, the medicine would be the only smoking cessation drug currently available in the UK.

Around 6.6 million Britons are smokers – about one in ten. In 2019, the Government announced plans to make Britain smoke-free by 2030, but experts say it is unlikely the UK will meet the target, partly due to a lack of effective stop-smoking treatments.

Cytisinicline has been used in Eastern European countries as a smoking cessation aid since the 1980s. It is made from Golden Rain trees – a flowering plant native to eastern Asia. It interferes with the brain’s receptor cells that respond to nicotine, reducing cravings and helping withdrawal.

The new study, by Massachusetts General Hospital’s Tobacco Research and Treatment Centre, tested the drug on 810 smokers who wanted to quit and compared their outcomes with a group given a dummy pill and counselling. Volunteers took a 3mg tablet three times a day. One group took the pill for six weeks, while another took it for 12. One in four of those on the six-week programme stopped smoking completely, compared to around one in 20 in the placebo group.

In the 12-week programme, a third quit, compared to less than one on ten in the placebo. After almost three months, a fifth were still not smoking. Mild side effects, such as nausea, abnormal dreams and insomnia, occurred in one in ten volunteers who took the drug.

Source: The Daily Mail, 22 July 2023

See also: JAMA network - Cytisinicline for Smoking Cessation ([link removed])
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** USA: Experts share 8 healthy habits to help you live longer

Eight habits that could help people live more than 20 years longer have been identified by researchers.

While it’s long been known that certain lifestyle factors can influence lifespan, the American study isolated the eight factors that have the biggest impact – being physically active, being free from opioid addiction, not smoking, managing stress, having a good diet, not regularly binge drinking, having good sleep hygiene, and having positive social relationships.

The research was presented at Nutrition 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, and used data from 719,147 people enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program.

It found low physical activity, opioid use and smoking were associated with around a 30-45 per cent higher risk of death, while stress, binge drinking, poor diet, and poor sleep hygiene were each associated with around a 20 per cent increase, and lack of positive social relationships was linked with a 5% increased risk of dying.

Men who had all eight habits at age 40 were predicted to live an average 24 years longer than men with none of the habits, according to the findings, and women with all eight habits in middle age were predicted to live an extra 21 years, compared with women with none of the habits.

Quitting smoking is an essential step in improving health and potentially adding years to your life. Natalie Trice, a health and wellbeing coach, points out that while some people may think reaching for a cigarette takes the edge off their stress, there are healthier ways to cope.

“Maybe going running or taking up yoga could be the release and focus you need, and one that will help you live longer, smell fresher and feel better,” she suggests.

“Also, with the cost of cigarettes going up all the time, giving up will free up cash for the things in life that really need to be paid for.” If you are struggling to quit smoking, talk to your GP about options available to help.

Source: The Independent, 25 July 2023
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ASH Daily News is a digest of published news on smoking-related topics. ASH is not responsible for the content of external websites. ASH does not necessarily endorse the material contained in this bulletin.

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