Drinking four cups of coffee a day protects against oral cancer, a study shows. People with a heavy coffee habit are 39 per cent less likely to suffer from cancers of the mouth and pharynx, it suggests. Doctors say people should drink coffee in moderation because caffeine can increase heart rate and blood pressure. However, the researchers insist evidence is strong that some of the 1,000 chemicals in coffee – including antioxidants – ... Jump to full article >>

Cigarette brands produced by U.S. tobacco companies provide higher levels of toxic chemicals, which cause cancer, than cigarettes brands made in other countries, deduced a study carried out by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the study conducted by CDC research team, the tobacco for U.S.-made tobacco products is blended with more cancer-causing substances than cigarettes manufactured in such countries as Canada ... Jump to full article >>

Smokers may want to consider where their cigarettes are coming from before they plunk down money for another pack. American-made butts have up to three times the level of cancer-causing nitrosamines as foreign brands, according to research. A study by the federal Centers for Disease Control compared the levels of nitrosamines – a major carcinogen – that were ingested by smokers in the United States, U.K., Canada and Australia over a 24-hour ... Jump to full article >>

Maybe we should call Missouri the “Smoke Me” state. Whether it’s at home or at work or at the convenience store checkout counter, Missourians live in a state that is one of the most tobacco-friendly places in the nation. That’s according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that ranks states on their tobacco control efforts. At just 17 cents per pack, Missouri has the second-lowest state tobacco tax, after Sou ... Jump to full article >>

Four common bad habits combined — smoking, drinking too much, inactivity and poor diet — can age you by 12 years, sobering new research suggests. The findings are from a study that tracked nearly 5,000 British adults for 20 years, and they highlight yet another reason to adopt a healthier lifestyle. Overall, 314 people studied had all four unhealthy behaviors. Among them, 91 died during the study, or 29 percent. Among the 387 healthiest peop ... Jump to full article >>

Some women avoid drinking calorie-filled cocktails, wine, and beer because they’re worried about packing on the pounds. Now, a new study suggests that women who are moderate drinkers actually tend to gain less weight over time than teetotalers. The risk of becoming overweight or obese falls as alcohol consumption rises, even when factors such as smoking, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity are taken into account, the study f ... Jump to full article >>

The Food and Drug Administration is working to lift the smokescreen clouding the ingredients used in cigarettes and other tobacco products. In June, tobacco companies must tell the FDA their formulas for the first time, just as drugmakers have for decades. Manufacturers also will have to turn over any studies they’ve done on the effects of the ingredients. It’s an early step for an agency just starting to flex muscles granted by a ne ... Jump to full article >>

A study published Wednesday by a Montreal business school using Canadian federal data suggested lowering tobacco taxes had little effect on consumption. Canadian tobacco taxes have a package of 20 selling for about $9 in Toronto as the federal tax authorities, customs officials and police grapple with a burgeoning contraband cigarette market. Packs of cigarettes can easily be purchased for as little as $2 each in Toronto, decimating legitimate s ... Jump to full article >>

“We were able to show that children who are exposed to tobacco smoke prenatally and during the first years of life have a higher risk of developing abnormal behavioral symptoms when they are of school age,” said Dr. Joachim Heinrich of the Institute of Epidemiology at Helmholtz Zentrum München. “Moreover, it makes a difference whether the child was exposed to tobacco smoke first after birth or was already confronted with it du ... Jump to full article >>

Smoking, being heavier, not using sunscreen and having had skin cancer appear to be associated with sun damage and aging of skin on the face, according to report based on a study of twins in the December issue of Archives of Dermatology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Long-term exposure to the sun causes physical and structural changes to the skin, resulting in photodamage, according to background information in the article. Unlike typical s ... Jump to full article >>