Dr. Howard Smith Reports

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/LU8Tc9SLo7Q

Smoking as few as 5 cigarettes a day creates lung damage not all that different from heavier smoking.  This wake-up call comes from a Columbia University Study of more than 25,000 participants representing teens, the middle aged, and elders.

The natural lung functional decline with aging is accelerated by smoking.  That acceleration rate for light smokers puffing about one-quarter pack a day was two-thirds the rate for those smoking 1.5 packs a day.  Even quitting doesn’t clean the slate as former smokers show lung decline rates that are only 14% lower than those for current smokers.

Any cigarette smoking damages your lungs permanently. Never start or you will become a pulmonary cripple.

Elizabeth C Oelsner, Pallavi P Balte, Surya P Bhatt, Patricia A Cassano, David Couper, Aaron R Folsom, Neal D Freedman, David R Jacobs, Ravi Kalhan, Amanda R Mathew, Richard A Kronmal, Laura R Loehr, Stephanie J London, Anne B Newman, George T O'Connor, Joseph E Schwartz, Lewis J Smith, Wendy B White, Sachin Yende. Lung function decline in former smokers and low-intensity current smokers: a secondary data analysis of the NHLBI Pooled Cohorts Study. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(19)30276-0

#Smoking #emphysema

Vidcast:   https://youtu.be/LU8Tc9SLo7Q

Smoking as few as 5 cigarettes a day creates lung damage not all that different from heavier smoking.  This wake-up call comes from a Columbia University Study of more than 25,000 participants representing teens, the middle aged, and elders.

The natural lung functional decline with aging is accelerated by smoking.  That acceleration rate for light smokers puffing about one-quarter pack a day was two-thirds the rate for those smoking 1.5 packs a day.  Even quitting doesn’t clean the slate as former smokers show lung decline rates that are only 14% lower than those for current smokers.

Any cigarette smoking damages your lungs permanently. Never start or you will become a pulmonary cripple.

Elizabeth C Oelsner, Pallavi P Balte, Surya P Bhatt, Patricia A Cassano, David Couper, Aaron R Folsom, Neal D Freedman, David R Jacobs, Ravi Kalhan, Amanda R Mathew, Richard A Kronmal, Laura R Loehr, Stephanie J London, Anne B Newman, George T O'Connor, Joseph E Schwartz, Lewis J Smith, Wendy B White, Sachin Yende. Lung function decline in former smokers and low-intensity current smokers: a secondary data analysis of the NHLBI Pooled Cohorts Study. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 2019; DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(19)30276-0

#Smoking #emphysema

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/0y7m2BjiOPI

Brothers and sisters of compulsive gamblers share impulsivity and dangerous risk-taking with their troubled sibs.  University of British Columbia psychologists report these findings after studying 20 gamblers and 16 of their siblings.

All participants underwent cognitive testing, MRI brain imaging, and surveys.  Both gamblers and their sibs acted irresponsibly when under stress.   The non-gambler sibs tended to be impulsive at baseline and took even greater risks, comparable to long-shot bets, when under pressure at work or at home.

If your brother or sister has a gambling issue, be on the lookout for possible self-destructive behavior in yourself.  Don’t be hesitant to seek professional help if you find your own risky behaviors unsettling.

Eve H. Limbrick-Oldfield, Inge Mick, Rachel E. Cocks, Remy S. A. Flechais, Samuel Turton, Anne Lingford-Hughes, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Luke Clark. Neural and neurocognitive markers of vulnerability to gambling disorder: a study of unaffected siblings. Neuropsychopharmacology, 2019; DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0534-1

#Gambling #familial #inherited #impulsivity

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/0y7m2BjiOPI

Brothers and sisters of compulsive gamblers share impulsivity and dangerous risk-taking with their troubled sibs.  University of British Columbia psychologists report these findings after studying 20 gamblers and 16 of their siblings.

All participants underwent cognitive testing, MRI brain imaging, and surveys.  Both gamblers and their sibs acted irresponsibly when under stress.   The non-gambler sibs tended to be impulsive at baseline and took even greater risks, comparable to long-shot bets, when under pressure at work or at home.

If your brother or sister has a gambling issue, be on the lookout for possible self-destructive behavior in yourself.  Don’t be hesitant to seek professional help if you find your own risky behaviors unsettling.

Eve H. Limbrick-Oldfield, Inge Mick, Rachel E. Cocks, Remy S. A. Flechais, Samuel Turton, Anne Lingford-Hughes, Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Luke Clark. Neural and neurocognitive markers of vulnerability to gambling disorder: a study of unaffected siblings. Neuropsychopharmacology, 2019; DOI: 10.1038/s41386-019-0534-1

#Gambling #familial #inherited #impulsivity

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/xqghazWllSg

Wolfing down those beers and donuts under the age of 40 can increase your risk of mid-life cancer by as much as 70%.  That conclusion and others from a large European study was just published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Data from 220,000 subjects showed that overweight women had a 70% greater risk of uterine cancer and overweight men a 58% higher risk of kidney cancer but also a 29 percent greater risk of colon cancer.  

Moderate your eating throughout life to keep medical disasters like cancer, heart disease, and stroke from your door.  Overindulgence when you’re young can not be undone.

Tone Bjørge, Christel Häggström, Sara Ghaderi, Gabriele Nagel, Jonas Manjer, Steinar Tretli, Hanno Ulmer, Sophia Harlid, Ann H Rosendahl, Alois Lang, Pär Stattin, Tanja Stocks, Anders Engeland. BMI and weight changes and risk of obesity-related cancers: a pooled European cohort study. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyz188

#Overweight #obese #cancer

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/xqghazWllSg

Wolfing down those beers and donuts under the age of 40 can increase your risk of mid-life cancer by as much as 70%.  That conclusion and others from a large European study was just published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Data from 220,000 subjects showed that overweight women had a 70% greater risk of uterine cancer and overweight men a 58% higher risk of kidney cancer but also a 29 percent greater risk of colon cancer.  

Moderate your eating throughout life to keep medical disasters like cancer, heart disease, and stroke from your door.  Overindulgence when you’re young can not be undone.

Tone Bjørge, Christel Häggström, Sara Ghaderi, Gabriele Nagel, Jonas Manjer, Steinar Tretli, Hanno Ulmer, Sophia Harlid, Ann H Rosendahl, Alois Lang, Pär Stattin, Tanja Stocks, Anders Engeland. BMI and weight changes and risk of obesity-related cancers: a pooled European cohort study. International Journal of Epidemiology, 2019; DOI: 10.1093/ije/dyz188

#Overweight #obese #cancer

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/c3VR2w0473s

The risk of developing CTE dementia rises by 30% for each year of tackle football played.  Neurologists at Boston University derive this conclusion from their study of brain samples from 266 American football players.

The data shows that the risk of developing CTE doubles for every 2.6 years of ball playing.  The risk of developing CTE or its severity were not affected by numbers of concussions, positions played, the age at which tackle football playbegan, or participation in other contact sports.

CTE dementia is a devastating disease. No helmet can protect our children and young adults from the damaging brain bouncing that forever robs football players of their mental prowess.  Tackle football is lethal and should replaced by safer sports!

Jesse Mez, Daniel H. Daneshvar, Bobak Abdolmohammadi, Alicia S. Chua, Michael L. Alosco, Patrick T. Kiernan, Laney Evers, Laura Marshall, Brett M. Martin, Joseph N. Palmisano, Christopher J. Nowinski, Ian Mahar, Jonathan D. Cherry, Victor E. Alvarez, Brigid Dwyer, Bertrand R. Huber, Thor D. Stein, Lee E. Goldstein, Douglas I. Katz, Robert C. Cantu, Rhoda Au, Neil W. Kowall, Robert A. Stern, Michael D. McClean, Jennifer Weuve, Yorghos Tripodis, Ann C. McKee. Duration of American football play and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Annals of Neurology, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/ana.25611

#CTE #football 

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/c3VR2w0473s

The risk of developing CTE dementia rises by 30% for each year of tackle football played.  Neurologists at Boston University derive this conclusion from their study of brain samples from 266 American football players.

The data shows that the risk of developing CTE doubles for every 2.6 years of ball playing.  The risk of developing CTE or its severity were not affected by numbers of concussions, positions played, the age at which tackle football playbegan, or participation in other contact sports.

CTE dementia is a devastating disease. No helmet can protect our children and young adults from the damaging brain bouncing that forever robs football players of their mental prowess.  Tackle football is lethal and should replaced by safer sports!

Jesse Mez, Daniel H. Daneshvar, Bobak Abdolmohammadi, Alicia S. Chua, Michael L. Alosco, Patrick T. Kiernan, Laney Evers, Laura Marshall, Brett M. Martin, Joseph N. Palmisano, Christopher J. Nowinski, Ian Mahar, Jonathan D. Cherry, Victor E. Alvarez, Brigid Dwyer, Bertrand R. Huber, Thor D. Stein, Lee E. Goldstein, Douglas I. Katz, Robert C. Cantu, Rhoda Au, Neil W. Kowall, Robert A. Stern, Michael D. McClean, Jennifer Weuve, Yorghos Tripodis, Ann C. McKee. Duration of American football play and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Annals of Neurology, 2019; DOI: 10.1002/ana.25611

#CTE #football 

Healthy Eating Curbs Depression

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/VjM2hztw-ow

Eating a healthy, balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meat for only 3 weeks can dramatically elevate the mood of depressed young adults.  Australian psychologists studied 76 depressed participants accustomed to eating a nutritional substandard diet.

The half eating the healthy diet had significantly fewer depressive symptoms at the end of the monitored healthy eating.   Their compliance with dietary changes was excellent.  When tested again 3 months later, the mood of the experimental group remained high suggesting sustained good eating.

If you find yourself fighting sadness and negativity, try spiffing up your meals with produce and protein from the periphery of the market.  It’ll make you smile.

Heather M. Francis, Richard J. Stevenson, Jaime R. Chambers, etal.  A brief diet intervention can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults – A randomised controlled trial.  PLOS.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222768

#Depression #healthydiet

Healthy Eating Curbs Depression

Vidcast:  https://youtu.be/VjM2hztw-ow

Eating a healthy, balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, fish and lean meat for only 3 weeks can dramatically elevate the mood of depressed young adults.  Australian psychologists studied 76 depressed participants accustomed to eating a nutritional substandard diet.

The half eating the healthy diet had significantly fewer depressive symptoms at the end of the monitored healthy eating.   Their compliance with dietary changes was excellent.  When tested again 3 months later, the mood of the experimental group remained high suggesting sustained good eating.

If you find yourself fighting sadness and negativity, try spiffing up your meals with produce and protein from the periphery of the market.  It’ll make you smile.

Heather M. Francis, Richard J. Stevenson, Jaime R. Chambers, etal.  A brief diet intervention can reduce symptoms of depression in young adults – A randomised controlled trial.  PLOS.  https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0222768

#Depression #healthydiet