Former smokers have a greater risk of developing diabetes than smokers or nonsmokers. But researchers say that’s due to the pounds people tend to gain after quitting. Smoking raises the risk of diabetes, but new research indicates that — at least in the short term — kicking the habit increases the risk even more. The problem is not really quitting smoking. It’s the pounds most people pack on when they give up cigarettes, ... Jump to full article >>

WAY TO GO: Jeff Hammond, Wanganui Hospital’s director of nursing, explains the nicotine replacement therapy to registered nurse Katy Mackay. Improving health systems is one thing but changing the public mindset about some health issues is another matter. And the chief executive of Wanganui’s district health board says it’s changing that mindset that will win the war over smoking addiction, diabetes and cardiovascular disease ... Jump to full article >>

Dr. Thomas Farley’s new three-year plan aims to cut in rates of smoking, drinking of sugary sodas, hospitalizations while urging outer borough residents to exercise more. New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley on Monday outlined a ten-step program and specific health goals the city hopes to reach in the next three years, part of a new public health agenda known as Take Care New York 2012. The city’s top doctor unveiled ... Jump to full article >>

In the early years after the second world war, health researchers in Britain noticed a curious epidemic: people had begun dying of heart attacks in unprecedented numbers. Nobody knew why, and so a scientist in London named Jerry Morris set up a vast study to examine the heart-attack rates in people of different occupations – schoolteachers, postmen, transport workers and more. Morris is today a neat, bird-like man who uses a cane to get aroun ... Jump to full article >>