Highlights
Nicotine
- The amount of nicotine in cigarettes has steadily increased over the last 6 years, according to a report by the Massachusetts Department of Health. Nicotine is the chemical in cigarettes that makes them addictive. Higher levels can make it harder to quit smoking.
- The first signs of nicotine withdrawal appear within 30 minutes of a smoker’s last cigarette, according to a study published in Psychopharmacology.
Drug News
- A study in Chest found that under-the-tongue nicotine tablets helped a significant number of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) stop smoking within 6 months.
- The drug varenicline (Chantrix) significantly reduces cigarette cravings and may work better than bupropion (Zyban), another anti-smoking drug. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that almost 50% of those who took varenicline were able to quit.
Smoking & Health
- Smokers with asthma who give up smoking considerably improve their lung function in less than 2 months, according to a study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
- Smoking nearly doubles the risk of rheumatoid arthritis in postmenopausal women who do not have the most established genetic risk factor for rheumatoid arthritis (HLA-DRB1 SE). The findings were published in Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
- All forms of tobacco raise your risk of a heart attack, according to research published in the Lancet. However, the study also found that the risk of a heart attack among those who stopped smoking slowly decreased over time.
- A study in the British Medical Journal supports earlier research that smokers are at higher risk of developing glucose intolerance.
- A study in Health Services Research found that the average weight gain among former smokers is about 21 pounds, not the 5 -15 pounds that most people think. Fear of weight gain should not keep a person from quitting smoking.
