cigarette smoking Archives - Amazing Health Advances

New E-Cigarette Products Contain Highly Potent Sweeteners

The AHA! Team — Wed, 09 Jul 2025 05:23:42 +0000

Eric-Sven Jordt, Ph.D. via Duke Health – As of now, neither federal nor state regulations address the increasing presence of artificial sweeteners in tobacco products. e-cigarettes tested by Duke researchers A majority of popular disposable e-cigarettes tested by Duke researchers contain a potent, unregulated artificial sweetener that may enhance the appeal to young and first-time users. The additive neotame is up to 13,000 times sweeter than table sugar and is often used in e-cigarettes that also feature fruity, candy and cool mint flavors. Clinical studies have found that candy flavors and sweeteners increase the appeal, preference, and abuse potential of e-cigarettes and other tobacco products. “The addition of a potent sweetener may increase the potential for addiction by facilitating initiation and chronic use,” said Eric-Sven Jordt, Ph.D., associate professor in the departments of Anesthesiology and Pharmacology and Cancer Biology at Duke and senior author of a study appearing June 2 in JAMA. “The presence of neotame also raises toxicity concerns,” Jordt said. “While approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for use in food, it is not known whether it is safe to inhale neotame heated and vaporized by an e-cigarette.” Jordt and colleagues — including co-lead authors Hanno C. Erythropel, Ph.D., an analytical chemist at Yale School of Medicine and Sairam V. Jabba, Ph.D., senior research scientist in Duke’s Department of Anesthesiology – analyzed 55 disposable e-cigarettes marketed in 2024, including the popular brands Elfbar, Geekbar, Mr. Fog and Breeze, and products that contained no nicotine or a nicotine-mimicking substance called 6-methylnicotine. Of the 55 disposable e-cigarettes tested all contained neotame, with an average neotame content that was nearly five times higher than in a mentos mint candy. Disposable e-cigarettes containing the nicotine analog 6-methylnicotine had even higher neotame content. “Our study demonstrates that the artificial sweetener neotame is a ubiquitous ingredient in popular disposable e-cigarettes sold in the United States,” Jabba said. “Interestingly, less popular FDA-authorized ENDS products such as Vuse or those awaiting an authorization decision that were introduced before 2021 such as Juul do not contain this additive. The addition of neotame to disposable cigarettes may give these products a competitive edge. Youth and young adults strongly favor sweetened products, especially in combination with candy flavors.” As of now, neither federal nor state regulations address the increasing presence of artificial sweeteners in tobacco products. “FDA and state regulators need to rein in the spread of heavily sweetened, disposable e-cigarettes that have not been authorized for marketing by the FDA, but are nevertheless available in local stores and from online vendors,” Jordt said. “Otherwise, gains made in the reduction of e-cigarette use by youth may be reversed.” In addition to Jabba, Jordt and Erythropel, study authors include Remi A. Mellinghoff, Victor Garcia-Gallet, Peter Silinski, and Julie B. Zimmerman. Funding for the study was provided by the Yale Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science, the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health (U54DA036151, R01DA060884), and the Center for Tobacco Products of the FDA. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the FDA. To read the original article click here.

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Does Marijuana Affect Weight Gain or Bone Density?

The AHA! Team — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 08:19:02 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – Are the apparent adverse effects of heavy cannabis use on the bone just due to users being thinner? It’s been recognized for decades that cigarette smoking can have “a major effect” on bone health, “increasing the lifetime risk of hip fracture by about half.” It also appears to impair bone healing, so much so that surgeons ask if they should discriminate against smokers because their bone and wound-healing complication rates are so high. What about smoking marijuana? As I discuss in my video Effects of Marijuana on Weight Gain and Bone Density, “There is accumulating evidence to suggest that cannabinoids [cannabis compounds] and their receptors play important roles in bone metabolism by regulating bone mass, bone loss, and bone cell function.” Okay, but are they “friend or foe?” “Results from research on cannabinoids and bone mineral density in rodent models have been inconsistent. Some studies show increased bone formation, others have demonstrated accelerated bone loss, and yet others have shown no association. This variation in results may be due [in part] to differences in the mouse strain, sex, age…” If you can’t even extrapolate from one mouse to another, how can you extrapolate from mice to human beings? What if you just measure cannabis use and bone mineral density in people? Researchers tested thousands of adults and asked them about their cannabis use. There did not appear to be any link between the two, which is a relief. However, in this study, “heavy” cannabis use was defined as just five or more days of use in the previous 30 days. The researchers didn’t ask beyond that, so, theoretically, someone who smoked just five joints in their entire life could be categorized as a “heavy user” if they happened to use it five times in the last four weeks. How about cannabis use on 5,000 separate occasions over a lifetime? Now that’s a heavy user—decades of regular use. In that case, heavy use was “associated with low bone mineral density and an increased risk of fractures”—about double the fracture rate presumably due to lower bone density in the hip and spine, although heavy cannabis users were also thinner on average, and thinner people have lighter bones. Hip fracture risk goes down as our weight goes up. Nearly half of underweight women have osteoporosis, but less than 1 percent of obese women do, which makes total sense. Being obese forces our body to make our bones stronger to carry around all of that extra weight. That’s why weight-bearing exercise is so important to constantly put stress on our skeleton. When it comes to our bones, it’s use it or lose it. That’s why astronauts can lose a percent of their bone mass every month in “long-duration spaceflight.” Their bodies aren’t stupid. Why waste all that energy making a strong skeleton if you aren’t going to put any weight on it? So, maybe the reason heavy cannabis users have frailer bones is because they tend to be about 15 pounds lighter. Wait a second. Marijuana users are slimmer? What about the munchies? “The lower BMI that was observed in heavy cannabis users at first sight seems counterintuitive,” given marijuana’s appetite stimulation, but this isn’t the first time this has been noted. “Popular culture commonly depicts marijuana users as a sluggish, lethargic, and unproductive subculture of compulsive snackers,” and marijuana has indeed been found to increase food intake. A single hit can increase appetite, so you’d expect obesity rates to rise in states that legalized it. But, if anything, the rise in obesity appeared to slow after medical marijuana laws were passed, whereas it appeared to just keep rising in other states, as you can see in the graph below and at 3:45 in my video. The reason pot smokers may be slimmer is because of the effect of smoked marijuana on metabolism. We’ve known for more than nearly 40 years that within 15 minutes of lighting up, our metabolic rate goes up by about 25 percent and stays there for at least an hour, as you can see below and at 4:04 in my video. So, that may be playing a role. Is that why heavy cannabis use is associated with lower bone mineral density and increased risk of fractures? Because users just aren’t as overweight? No. Even when taking BMI into account, heavy cannabis use appears to be “an independent predictor” of weaker bones. I originally released a series of marijuana videos in a webinar and downloadable digital DVD. There are still a few videos coming out over the next year, but if you missed any of the already published ones, see the related posts below. For more on bone health, check out the related posts below. Key Takeaways Cigarette smoking is known to have a major negative effect on bone health, increasing the risk of hip fracture and impairing bone healing. Surgeons questioned whether they should discriminate against smokers due to higher complication rates. Cannabinoids and their receptors are implicated in bone metabolism, influencing bone mass, bone loss, and bone cell function. However, research on cannabinoids’ effects on bone mineral density in rodents has shown inconsistent results. Heavy cannabis use, defined as more than 5,000 separate occasions over a lifetime, is “associated with low bone mineral density and an increased risk of fractures.” This risk is about double compared to non-heavy users, potentially due to users’ lower bone density in the hip and spine. Heavy cannabis users, despite experiencing increased appetite (the munchies), tend to have lower BMI and are slimmer. The increased metabolic rate observed after smoking marijuana may contribute to this, but heavy cannabis use remains an independent predictor of weaker bones, even when considering BMI. To read the original article click here.

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Menthol Ban Looming, Cigarette Makers Turn to Synthetic Substitutes

The AHA! Team — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 08:40:01 +0000

Duke Health – DURHAM, N.C. – Synthetic chemicals that mimic menthol’s cooling sensations are being added to newly introduced “non-menthol” cigarettes in states that have banned the additive, according to a new study from Duke Health. Synthetic chemicals that mimic menthol’s cooling sensations are being added to newly introduced “non-menthol” cigarettes in states that have banned the additive The additives appear to be an effort to circumvent an expected federal ban of menthol cigarettes by the FDA later this year. Already, California and Massachusetts have enacted laws banning sales of menthol cigarettes. In a study appearing online Oct. 9 in JAMA, researchers from Duke Health and Yale University identified new compounds that achieve similar cooling sensations to menthol, which has long been added to tobacco to reduce harshness. Menthol cigarettes are often favored by young people and those just starting to smoke. Historically menthol cigarettes have also been aggressively marketed towards African Americans, with up to 90% of African Americans who smoke using menthol cigarettes. “We found that tobacco companies are adding a synthetic cooling agent called WS-3 to these new “non-menthol” cigarettes,” said Sven-Eric Jordt, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Anesthesiology at Duke University School of Medicine and senior author of the study. “The added amounts are sufficient to produce robust cooling sensations, with some brands having more cooling activity than their menthol equivalent cigarettes.” When California’s menthol ban was enacted in December 2022, the big tobacco companies, RJ Reynolds and ITG, introduced “non-menthol” cigarette brands as menthol substitutes, with very similar packaging and marketing strategies as their menthol cigarette brands. Sairam V. Jabba, Ph.D., a senior research scientist at Duke and lead author of the study, measured whether cigarettes purchased in the two states with bans contain chemicals that activate the cold/menthol receptor, which senses environmental cold temperature and is activated by menthol. “We found that four of the non-menthol cigarette products, all manufactured by RJ Reynolds, robustly activated the cold/menthol receptor, and this cooling activity was stronger than of their menthol counterparts,” Jabba said. “These results signify that these new “non-menthol” cigarettes can produce the same cooling sensations as menthol cigarettes and thereby facilitate smoking initiation,” he said. “Allowing these cigarettes to be marketed would nullify several of the expected public health benefits from state and federal bans of menthol cigarettes.” A chemical analysis of the “non-menthol” cigarettes detected a synthetic cooling agent, named WS-3, in four of the nine currently marketed products. WS-3 produces a cooling effect, but lacks the minty smell of menthol, allowing these products to bypass regulations. The researchers also detected vanilla and tropical flavor chemicals in “non-menthol” cigarettes, contained in flavor capsules in the filters. “Our discovery of restricted flavors such as vanilla, which have characteristic odor and taste, demonstrates that big tobacco is ignoring current federal regulations banning the addition of characteristic flavors to cigarettes. More importantly, vanilla flavor is a very popular among children and youth, making it easy for them to initiate on these cigarettes,” Jordt said. “FDA regulators need to develop effective strategies for the control of odorless cooling agents and flavors that threaten to bypass tobacco flavor bans,” he said. In addition to Jordt and Jabba, study authors include Hanno C. Erythropel, Paul T. Anastas, and Julie B. Zimmerman of Yale University. Research reported in this publication was supported by grant number U54DA036151 (Yale Tobacco Center of Regulatory Science) from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and the Center for Tobacco Products of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH or the Food and Drug Administration. To read the original article click here.

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Tobacco Smoking Increases Lung Entry Points for COVID-19 Virus

AHA Publisher — Sat, 02 May 2020 07:00:47 +0000

Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) via EurekAlert – Given tobacco’s apparent interaction with the coronavirus, the two researchers are alarmed at the lack of data that would allow us to better study how smoking and the pandemic are related. The researchers point out that in Spain there is currently no data on smoking in patients with COVID-19 and that this is something to be remedied by registering and sharing data on the issue. Whether or not you are a smoker could condition how the coronavirus affects you. At least that is what numerous researchers are saying, insisting that tobacco use is to blame for the weakened cardiovascular systems which are at greatest risk from COVID-19. Among these researchers are Javier C. Vázquez, from the Bordeaux Neurocampus, and Diego Redolar, from the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), who confirm that the data indicates that “tobacco use is one of the reasons that more men die from the virus than women in Spain”. Over 30% of those who have died from the disease suffered from some form of cardiovascular disease – the leading cause of death in Spain (28% in 2018) – and approximately 10% of cardiovascular disease is attributed to smoking. COVID-19 is an infectious disease provoked by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). As explained repeatedly in the news on the virus, it is transmitted mainly person to person via small respiratory droplets through sneezing or coughing, and the most common symptoms are fever, cough and difficulty breathing. Regarding its impact on the population in Spain, over 90% of deaths have occurred in people over 60 and over 45% had some pre-existing condition. Men Versus Women Although the number of COVID-19 infections among men and women is fairly similar in Spain, the mortality rate after 5 April stood at 8% for men and 4% for women. This is what the analysis by Redolar, associate dean for research at the UOC’s Faculty of Health Sciences and researcher with the Cognitive NeuroLab research group, and Vázquez, researcher in the University of Bordeaux’s Neuroscience Department, has shown. In Redolar’s opinion, “it is evidence that gender plays a role in patterns such as the prevalence of tobacco use”, since according to data for 2017, in Spain over 25% of men smoke while only 18% of women do. The Biological Effects of Tobacco Use The researchers, who have published an article on this topic in the scientific journal Tobacco Induced Diseases, state that it is important that biological data be taken into account. For instance, smoking tobacco can upregulate the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), which, among other things, lowers blood pressure. Some coronaviruses use this enzyme as a cellular entry receptor. SARS-CoV-2 is one such virus, joining itself to ACE2 receptors in the lower respiratory tract of infected individuals to again access to the lungs. The researchers confirm that “existing data suggests that patients with COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or who smoke have a higher risk of becoming more seriously ill from COVID-19, since it increases ACE2 expression in weaker airways, which this type of patient has”. These conclusions have already been confirmed in lab mice. More Data and Measures Against Tobacco Use Given tobacco’s apparent interaction with the coronavirus, the two researchers are alarmed at the lack of data that would allow us to better study how smoking and the pandemic are related. The researchers point out that in Spain there is currently no data on smoking in patients with COVID-19 and that this is something to be remedied by registering and sharing data on the issue. They also state that we should launch campaigns to reduce tobacco use adapted to the current context and adopt interventions that have proven effective in curbing the habit, like increased taxes on tobacco, prohibiting its sale during the pandemic or improving programmes to help people quit smoking. Researchers demand data on tobacco use among those infected and advise that its sale should be prohibited during the pandemic. To read the original article click here.

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Home Cleaning Products Bombshell: Exposure Equivalent to Smoking 20 Cigarettes a Day, Study Says

AHA Publisher — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 07:00:35 +0000

Leah Zerbe, MS, NASM-CPT, NASM-CES via Dr. Axe – The study linking cleaner use to cigarette lung damage should certainly give you pause. Like many Americans, I grew up in the age of oversanitation in a house full of home cleaning products. My mom regularly scrubbed down our kitchen counter with household bleach. The sink was so shiny that it sparkled, and our floors were spotless. She didn’t do this to hurt us; she thought it was keeping us safe. Years later, many of the clients I met in my practice had the same “kill-all-germs” standard for their homes. After all, it’s what they thought would best protect their families. In reality, there are lots of reasons to forgo store-bought home cleaning products. The latest example? Regular, long-term exposure to spray cleaners increases a woman’s risk of lung damage similar to that of smoking a pack of 20 cigarettes a day. Home Cleaning Products Study: The Main Takeaways The study, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, investigated home cleaning products, including sprays and other cleaners. Although the study didn’t look at products’ impacts on lung cancer risk, it did aim to find out how cleaners damage the lungs and impair function. In the first-of-its-kind study on home cleaning products, Norwegian researchers turned up some important findings. Here are the key takeaways: (1) The study looked at 6,000 women over a 20-year span. It investigated the long-term impact of cleaners on respiratory health, including lung function decline and airway obstruction. Scientists looked at both people cleaning at home and people who cleaned as a profession. The study looked at forced expiratory volume in one second, which is how much air you can blow out of your lungs in a second. They also looked at forced vital capacity. That’s how much air you can blow out of your lungs after taking a big, deep breath. Although both of these breathing factors declines naturally with age starting in the mid-20s, the study found regularly using cleaning chemicals accelerated lung decline. Cleaning as little as once a week from home over 20-years initiated significant lung damage. People cleaning professionally for a job experienced lung damage on par with smoking 20 cigarettes daily for 10 to 20 years. The researchers hypothesize that cleaning products’ irritating ingredients cause damage through different avenues, including: Triggering immune system dysfunction Setting off inflammation in mucous membranes Damage to the airways on the cell, structural and tissue level Environmental Working Group’s science review of the study provides some recommendations: (2) Save money and your lungs by simply using fewer cleaning products. Store-bought cleaner manufacturers aren’t required to disclose all ingredients, so there’s no way of really knowing what’s in a specific mixture…and how it’ll affect your health in the short- and long-term. Avoid spray cleaners when possible. If you must use them, spray onto a cloth first to reduce the number of tiny droplets you breathe in. Use microfiber cloths or microfiber cloths and water to do your dusting. The Dark Side of Home Cleaning Products The study linking cleaner use to cigarette lung damage should certainly give you pause. But there are dozens and dozens of other peer-reviewed, published studies outlining how harmful cleaning products impact our bodies. Perhaps the scariest part? Cleaner manufacturers don’t have to disclose all of the ingredients in products. And we just don’t know what health effects stem from the way all of these questionable ingredients mix with each other. Here’s what we do know. Let’s take a look at some of the ways toxic cleaning products can damage your body. Immune System Dysfunction One animal study published in Science in 2012 demonstrated the harm that can result from living in a too-sterile environment. Researchers observed two groups of mice: the first group was bred with “germ-free” immune systems that lacked gut bacteria; the second group was given normal, healthy exposure to good and bad bacteria. When they were tested, the germ-free mice had much higher levels of inflammation in the colon and lung regions compared to the mice with normal germ exposure (who had healthy immune responses). The germ-free mice had also developed symptoms similar to ulcerative colitis and asthma. But the good news is, once the germ-free mice were exposed to normal amounts of bacteria two weeks after birth, their immune system response balanced out, and the animals healed from their inflammatory conditions. (3) Lung-Penetrating Air Pollution Did you know cleaning your home with household cleaners available in most stores can actually create hazardous air conditions inside of your home? A 2006 study published in the journal Indoor Air found home cleaning products often contain high levels of volatile organic compounds, also known as VOCs. The study authors noted that these cleaners often harbor glycol ethers, which are regulated toxic air contaminants. Terpenes are other problematic chemicals lurking in cleaners. These can easily react with formaldehyde and ultrafine particles in the air to create lung-damaging ozone. (4) Limonene and linalool are two synthetic fragrance terpene chemicals often used in citrus-scented products. (5) Snotty Kids A Chinese study of nearly 2300 students from 21 different schools found that frequently using cleaning products in the home increased the likelihood of kids having rhinitis, an inflammation of the nose lining, by 29 to 97 percent. The researchers calculated kids’ “total chemical burden” by adding up the total time of exposure to 14 different home cleaning products. The rhinitis symptoms were worse as total chemical burden increased. (6) Asthma It’s well known that people who clean to make a living face an increased risk of developing asthma. But did you know using cleaning sprays at home is also linked to new cases of asthma? A 2010 review study published in the Current Opinion in Allergy and Clinical Immunology found strong evidence linking not only professional cleaners but also homemakers and healthcare professionals, to work-exacerbated and new-onset asthma. The study author noted that the following products may be particularly relevant to asthma symptoms: Spray cleaners Chlorine bleach Other disinfectants So what’s triggering these lung ailments? Researchers believe it could be a sensitization effect and/or the irritating features of the ingredients. (7) Add in the dangers of synthetic scents often used in cleaners, and it’s easy to see how home cleaning products can lead to chest tightness, wheezing and other respiratory ailments. (8) Dermatitis If you’re looking for natural rash home remedies, it could be as simple as switching up your cleaning routine. Unfortunately, contact dermatitis-triggering ingredients are common in cleaners and laundry products. Preservatives like methylisothiazolinone are among the worst offenders. And be careful: This one is often found in cleaning and laundry products marketed as “natural.” (9, 10) Poisonous Gases & Beyond It’s not just the cleaning products themselves, but how we often mix them that leads to potentially disastrous health threats. The dangers of bleach range beyond its own initial respiratory threats. One of the biggest dangers? It doesn’t play well with other popular cleaning chemicals. One common mistake is mixing chlorine bleach with a cleaner containing ammonia. (Glass and floor cleaners often contain ammonia.) This creates chloramine gas. In fact, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia warns that just a few whiffs of this chemical mixture can set off 24 hours of symptoms, including: (11) Eye, nose, throat and airway irritation Teary eyes Runny nose Sore throat Coughing Chest congestion Mixing chlorine bleach with an acid-based cleaner also creates chlorine gas, another irritant, but with more serious and longer-lasting effects than chloramine. This is why I suggest you never mix store-bought cleaning products. Think about it. Even mixing white vinegar with bleach could create this hazardous gas, along with acids found in drain openers, oven cleaners and toilet bowl cleaners. More Toxic Mixtures The American Lung Association warns that even natural fragrances like citrus can react and create hazardous indoor air quality conditions. If levels of ozone are high inside of the house, cleaning ingredients, particularly natural and synthetic forms of citrus, can react to create formaldehyde, a known human carcinogen. Toxic microparticles are also created, which can lodge into your lungs. According to the American Lung Association, ozone can worsen asthma and other lung diseases while fine particles cannot only make asthma worse but also increase heart attack and stroke risk. (12) How to Find & Create Safer Cleaner Products Since our chemical regulations are outdated and don’t properly protect us from toxic cleaning products, how can we find safer solutions? Here are the top recommendations: Most people don’t need industrial disinfectants for home cleaning. Use ingredients like white vinegar, baking soda and castile soap for cleaning purposes. When you do need a more potent cleaner, use germ-killing essential oils, including a thieves oil blend. (Make sure they are safe to use around children and pets.) When in doubt, choose unscented products. If you do use essential oils, avoid use on days with high ozone. And don’t use air filters in your home that create ozone. Avoid antibacterial soap, including the active ingredient triclosan and ingredients used to replace triclosan. Don’t always trust “green” or “natural” cleaners. A 2015 study found many contained carcinogens, toxic fragrances and VOCs similarly to regular store-bought cleaners. (13, 14) Look at EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning to see how your cleaners rank and to find safer alternatives. Final Thoughts on Home Cleaning Products & Health Threats In 2018, Norwegian researchers released a first-of-its-kind study linking long-term exposure to cleaning products to significant lung damage. Cleaning the home as little as just once a week triggered lung decline. People who cleaned more regularly (such as people who clean for a living) experienced lung damage on par with smoking 20 cigarettes a day for 10 to 20 years. The damage was measured by declining levels of exhalation breath and a weaker one-second expulsion of air from the lungs. The damage is believed to occur to the immune system, to the actual airway tract and due to chronic, low-level inflammation triggered by the cleaning products. Dozens of other studies link common home cleaning products to asthma, immune system dysfunction, autoimmune diseases, cancer and other ills. Dust with a microfiber cloth and water and utilize other natural cleaners like castile soap, white vinegar and baking soda. Most households don’t require harsh disinfects to kill all germs. That can actually damage our health in many cases, in my opinion. Certain essential oils possess antibacterial and antiviral properties if you do need a more potent natural cleaner. Just be sure you choose oils that are safe to use around kids and pets. And make sure they don’t interact poorly with certain medical conditions. If you are going to purchase store-bought cleaners, check EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaners to check out safety scores and choose a better product. To read the original article click here. For more articles from Dr. Axe click here.

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Cigarette Smoke Damages Our Mental Health, Too

AHA Publisher — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 08:00:00 +0000

ISRAEL21c Staff by Israel21c – New Israeli-Serbian research study suggests that smoking and depression are closely linked. Everyone knows that cigarette smoking can cause lung cancer, heart disease, low birth weight, and high blood pressure, among other health hazards. But you may be surprised to learn that there are also mental health risks related to smoking, according to a new study. Professor Hagai Levine at Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s-Hadassah Braun School of Public Health and Community Medicine published these groundbreaking findings in the journal PLOS ONE with Assistant Prof. Tatjana Gazibara at the University of Belgrade and PhD student Marija Milic at the University of Pristina. Together, they surveyed more than 2,000 students enrolled at Serbian universities with differing socio-political and economic environments. The survey showed that students who smoked were two to three times more likely to suffer from clinical depression compared to non-smoking peers. At the University of Pristina, 14% of smokers suffered from depression as opposed to 4% of their non-smoking peers, and at Belgrade University the numbers were 19% to 11%, respectively. No matter their economic or socio-political backgrounds, students who smoked also had higher rates of depressive symptoms and lower mental health scores (such as vitality and social functioning) than did non-smoking students. “Our study adds to the growing body of evidence that smoking and depression are closely linked,” shared Levine. “While it may be too early to say that smoking causes depression, tobacco does appear to have an adverse effect on our mental health.” To read the original article click here.

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