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Harm Reduction
Canadian youth are vaping early and often – Heart and Stroke Foundation
A Heart & Stroke study of youth and young adult vaping behaviour and preferences reveals that young people across Canada who vape do so...
'Worrying' rise in alcohol industry-funded research into alcohol impacts
The alcohol industry is increasingly funding academic research into the impacts of alcohol consumption – with some studies making claims about alcohol’s health benefits...
US national survey uncovers doctor misconceptions about nicotine risks
According to a Rutgers University-led national survey in the United States, most doctors misperceive the risks of nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco products....
Vitamin B1 may help stem alcohol-induced cognitive decline – Austrian study
Researchers from the Medical University of Vienna in Austria have hypothetically linked alcohol-induced vitamin B1 deficiency with iron deposits in the brain that could...
Over 40% increase in high-risk drinkers in England since COVID-19
The Royal College of Psychiatrists warned this week that addiction services in England are not equipped to treat the eight million people who are...
E-cigarette use plummets among American youth – FDA survey
About 3.6 million youth in the United States reported current e-cigarette use in 2020, reflecting a decline from 5.4 million in 2019, according to...
Girls and women 'may be at greater risk' of tobacco use
Tobacco harms young and old, men and women, in South Africa and around the world. Women and children, however, face unique challenges and may...
Social smokers have multifold higher lung disease and lung cancer risk
‘Social smokers’ are more than twice as likely to die of lung disease and more than eight times as likely to die of lung...
Cannabis use has a debatable impact on cognitive functioning
Cannabis is the most commonly used psychotropic drug in the world. Because so many young people use cannabis, it is important to understand its...
New digital tool to improve treatment for people with alcohol addiction
An online system to monitor symptoms and cravings will help combat heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders, which affect about a third of men...
Why low and alcohol free beers could be considered health drinks
With improving brewing and alcohol-removal methods, the flavour and potentially the health benefits of low alcohol beers can be retained, while reducing the negatives...
Secondhand smoke heightens risk of child hospitalisation – Cincinnati study
Children in the United States who are exposed to tobacco have much higher rates of hospital admissions after visiting emergency departments or urgent care...
E-cigarettes are no better than alternative aids to quit smoking – US study
People who use e-cigarettes to help them stop smoking are no more likely to be abstinent a year later than those who use alternative...
Lung injuries not linked to higher rates of vaping, cannabis use – Yale
Higher rates of e-cigarette and marijuana use in states in America did not result in more e-cigarette or vaping-related lung injuries – known as...
Marijuana use rising among older adults in America
Marijuana use is on the rise among baby boomers in the United States, especially men, according to a study published Monday in the Annals...
Public buildings in Cape Town could soon be smoke-free zones
Public buildings in Cape Town could soon become smoke-free as part of the City of Cape Town health department’s Bloomberg Partnership for Healthy Cities...
Problematic alcohol use linked to legal performance-enhancing substances
A study published in the journal Pediatrics found that young adults aged 18 to 26 who used legal performance-enhancing substances were significantly more likely to report...
Alcohol industry – R150 million boost for harm reduction initiatives
Alcohol industry players in South Africa have pledged R150 million for harm reduction initiatives over the next year. While the alcohol ban turned out...
San Francisco needs to admit it was wrong about vaping ban
Research by the universities of Memphis and Florida into San Francisco’s banning of flavoured tobacco products suggests the measure was probably a mistake. While...
Quit smoking to reduce stroke risk if you have irregular heartbeat
Scientists have urged people with atrial fibrillation – the most common heart rhythm disorder – to kick the smoking habit and cut their chance...
In-laws’ alcohol use increases own risk of drinking problems
A study of more than 300,000 couples in Sweden has found that marriage to a spouse who grew up exposed to parental alcohol misuse...
Allowing adolescents ‘sips’ may lead to adverse alcohol outcomes
There is no evidence that parents supplying alcohol to adolescents will protect them from later alcohol harms, according to a report by researchers at...
Cannabis still lacks ‘real data’ to clarify its role in rheumatology
While recreational use of medical cannabis is on the rise among patients with rheumatologic diseases, quality studies demonstrating its risks and benefits are lacking,...
Smokers less likely to receive breast, cervical and colorectal screening
Current smokers have lower odds of obtaining screening for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, according to a study from the universities of Stanford and...
Global deaths due to smokeless tobacco up by a third – UK Study
The number of deaths globally due to smokeless tobacco has gone up by a third in seven years to an estimated 350,000 people, suggests...
Cannabis legalisation a 'significant concern' – American Heart Association
Preliminary studies have found that cannabis use may be linked to an increased risk of heart attacks, atrial fibrillation and heart failure but no cardiovascular...
Pregnancy – Cannabis use linked to autism; alcohol raises miscarriage risk
Research suggests that children in Canada born to mothers who report using cannabis during pregnancy have about a 50% greater risk of developing autism,...
Heavier smoking linked to skyrocketing health risks
Each cigarette smoked a day by heavier smokers increases the risk of contracting some diseases by more than 30%, according to an international study...
COVID-19 concerns cause more than a million Brits to quit smoking
More than one million people in the United Kingdom have given up smoking since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to a study by...
Lockdown in UK increased boozing in people with alcohol use disorders
In the United Kingdom, lockdown was a risk factor for increasing alcohol consumption in people with alcohol use disorders and relapse for those who...
Cannabis can raise – or lower – depression risk among adolescents
Research at Johns Hopkins University in America found a complicated and counterintuitive relationship between cannabis use among adolescents and depression, writes Eric W Dolan...
Scientists offer six proposals to limit boozing after alcohol ban is lifted
The SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) has put forward six proposals to limit the availability of alcohol – and reduce hospital trauma cases –...
Research finds CBD effective at treating cannabis use disorder
Researchers in the United Kingdom have found, perhaps ironically, that cannabidiol (CBD) from cannabis, used in medical marijuana, can help tackle cannabis dependence among...
Adolescent e-cigarette use doubles risk of starting cigarette smoking
In adolescents the use of e-cigarettes doubles the risk of starting to smoke traditional cigarettes, states a position paper from the European Society of...
Alcohol abuse may raise risk of death in patients with arrhythmia
When patients under age 54 were hospitalised with abnormal heart rhythms, those who abused alcohol were 72% more likely to die before being discharged,...
High US death toll from excessive alcohol consumption – CDC study
Excessive alcohol use is responsible for 93,000 deaths and 2.7 million years of potential life lost every year in the United States, according to...
Getting the facts straight – The alcohol ban and COVID-19 beds
It is difficult to accept government meddling in personal lifestyles, even when decisions are based on solid evidence, writes MedicalBrief. The outrage that followed...
Alan Winde on the alcohol ban: South Africa needs to act smarter
In a News24 article Alan Winde, premier of the Western Cape, draws on provincial research that illustrates the heavy burden of alcohol-related trauma on...
Immune system facilitates alcohol addiction – European study
How alcohol produces potent addictive effects is poorly understood, and this likely impedes interventions to limit heavy drinking. A new study provides insights, revealing...
Study challenges belief that lower BMI shields smokers from health risks
Some smokers rationalise continuing to smoke because of lower body weight often associated with the habit. However, Vanderbilt University Medical Center investigators have determined...