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Study: Light smoking causes lung function loss at 68% of the rate of heavy smoking
The Mail Online has reported on a Lancet study that pooled the results of six population-based studies from the US including over 25,000 adults.
The study found that lung function declined faster for smokers compared with people who had never smoked. Lung function was poorer the more cigarettes people smoked, but even "light" smokers were not far behind heavy smokers. Light smoking resulted in lung function loss at 68% of the rate of heavy smoking. They also found that lung function continued to decline in people who quit smoking, although not nearly as fast as those who continued to smoke.
The researchers say their study shows that "there is no safe level of tobacco smoke" and that people wanting to avoid lung disease should stop smoking completely. The study focused only on lung function and did not consider the other established harms caused by smoking, such as cancers and heart disease.
Source: NHS News, 10 October 2019
See also
Mail Online: Smoking just a few cigarettes each day is just as bad for your lungs as burning through two packets
Editorial Note: This headline is incorrect — light smoking was found to have 68% of the effect that heavy smoking had.
The Lancet. Lung function decline in former smokers and low-intensity current smokers: a secondary data analysis of the NHLBI Pooled Cohorts Study. 9 October 2019
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The USA’s fourth-largest life insurer, Prudential, has said that vapers who inhale from a hand-held electronic vaporiser rather than a traditional cigarette will now be classified as regular smokers and pay more when applying for individual life coverage, according to a company statement on Wednesday 9th October.
"Prudential will reclassify users of e-cigarettes to treat them as smokers and in line with our cigarette smoking guidelines," a company spokesman said. "Smokers typically will have higher-priced policies." He cited “increased attention on vaping over the past few months and linkages to a few deaths and multiple illnesses” as the reasoning.
Smokers currently pay about 50% a year more than vapers, according to the website Dipsurance, which provides insurance quotes. Those savings for a term life policy could amount to $350 to $800 a year, depending on the health of the applicant.
Source: CBS News, 10 October 2019
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US: Number of vaping-related deaths now 26
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announced on Thursday 10th October that 26 people have died from illnesses associated with e-cigarette use since March, while 1,299 have been injured. Among a group of 1,043 patients for whom there was data on sex and age, 70% were male while 80% were under 35. More than three-quarters used tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the primary psychoactive substance of cannabis, with or without nicotine products.
Source: Mail Online, 10 October 2019
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Opinion: Vaping in the US vs the UK
In an article for Vice, Alex Norcia has interviewed tobacco researchers and academics to find out why e-cigarettes are viewed so differently in the US and the UK.
"I think the difference between the UK and the US are due to the American propensity to turn health issues into moral crusades," said Brad Rodu, a professor of medicine at the University of Louisville and an expert in tobacco-addiction harm-reduction, who also noted that another big issue is difficulty obtaining funding for research in the US.
"It's basically reefer madness revisited in the US,” said Harry Shapiro, the director of DrugWise, a UK-based drug-education website, and the author of the Global State of Tobacco Harm Reduction report. "In the United States, you can go around firing guns, but they don't want you to vape. Which is to say, certainly, that there's a real disconnect between what counts as public safety and what people are actually, or should be, scared of."
"The UK has a long history of adopting a harm-reduction approach for changing behaviour and improving health," said Deborah Robson, a senior postdoctoral researcher in tobacco addiction at King's College London. "We have recognised, based on empirical research for several decades, that nicotine is not the harmful substance in tobacco. It's inhaling thousands of other toxic gases and particles of tar the come from setting fire to tobacco that harms and kills smokers."
Whether Britain's robust framework would survive whatever form a potential Brexit took remained to be seen, but Robson said she suspected immediate, drastic changes were unlikely.
Editorial Note: Although Vice Media is known to be sponsored by PMI for its “Change Incorporated” project, this article has not been published under that subsidiary publication.
Source: Vice, 10 October 2019
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The first-ever Global Tobacco Industry Interference Index (Global Tobacco Index) shows how well governments in 33 countries are protecting health policy from industry meddling. Each country is scored annually on overall level of industry influence as well as key indicators.
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For more information call 020 7404 0242, email [email protected] or visit www.ash.org.uk
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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