FitSugar

How Tobacco Companies Get Women to Light Up

TresSugar — Fri, 28 May 2010 10:50:02 PDT

Could a bright and colorful package convince you to put your health at risk and smoke cigarettes? Tobacco companies sure hope so, as they shift their strategy to focus on young women in developing countries. Men make up 80 percent of the world's 1 billion smokers, so now it's time to move on to the ladies.

In addition to "feminine" packaging and flavored cigarettes, big tobacco uses themes like independence, sex appeal, slimness, and beauty in their marketing campaigns. That's quite ironic, considering smoking destroys your teeth, hair, nails, and skin, not to mention the fact that a killer addiction is the antithesis of independence.

The anticigarette camp also hopes packaging influences a person's decision to (not) smoke. In Europe, for example, packs of cigarettes are plastered with messages that say things like "smoking kills." And the UK has gone as far to show graphic images, including the corpse of a lung cancer victim, on all tobacco products. Unfortunately, in developing countries, tobacco is king of the persuasive packaging.

Surgeon General's Warning Gets Louder

FitSugar — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:00:37 PDT

Until recently, the health warnings on US tobacco products have been incredibly subtle compared to cigarette packs in Europe, which are often as blunt as "smoking kills." But thanks to the tobacco law passed last year, US advertising is catching up with bigger, bolder warnings on tobacco products.
The New York Times got its hands on a new ad for Snus smokeless tobacco (above), which follows new requirements that 20 percent of ad space must be occupied by the warning. Starting June 22, all smokeless tobacco products in the US will have to follow these advertising guidelines, and next year, they will apply to cigarette ads as well.

Australia is taking an even more extreme approach: there, the government wants to ban all brand logos and colors on cigarette boxes, leaving behind "only a few words and graphic warning images of shriveled, diseased lungs or gangrenous toes." What do you think about the proposed Aussie law versus the new US cigarette ads; do our regulations in this country go far enough?

Source: New York Times

Forget Breathing In the Fumes; Just Being Near a Smoker Is Bad

FitSugar — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:20:39 PST

Smoking is a bad habit and a serious health risk. It's dangerous even if you're not a smoker: 3,000 nonsmokers die in the US every year due to complications arising from secondhand smoke. Things aren't looking better for us nonsmokers either. A new study suggests that this number has the potential to rise because of risks associated with "thirdhand smoke."

Thirdhand smoke is the residue left behind after a cigarette is put out. It's invisible and settles into clothes, skin, and surfaces, often leaving behind a faint scent of cigarettes. My nose is pretty adept at picking up the scent of cigarettes on clothing, in a room, or even in a car, so I'm pretty certain that I've been around thirdhand smoke before. It's not pleasant, but I never thought that it could pose a risk to my health.

To find out about the dangers associated with thirdhand smoke,

Fight Cancer With Tobacco?

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:30:00 PDT

We all know that using tobacco products is a sure way to be on the road to asthma, emphysema, and lung cancer. New research, putting a kind of reverse engineering twist to that carcinogenic scenario, is using tobacco to fight cancer. Scientists at Stanford University are manipulating the tobacco plant to make as a vaccine to fight a type of lymphatic cancer. Once injected, the personalized vaccine prompts the body's immune system to attack cancer cells. So far the technique has been used on 16 cancer patients. Not only was it safe, but 70 percent of the patients' immune systems responded to this tobacco vaccine.

It's pretty ironic to use tobacco to fight cancer, but apparently vaccines made from plants are far less expensive than those made using animal cells. Let's hope this is a breakthrough in the fight against cancer.

Source

Hookahs vs. Cigarettes

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:00:00 PDT

A new coffee shop opened up near where I live, and they serve more than lattes and peppermint tea. When you walk by, you can see tables outside with people puffing on hookahs. This whole hookah bar/parlor scene has found its way into American culture, and its popularity raises an important question. Is it safe?

When you smoke from a hookah, you inhale flavored tobacco from a hose that is attached to an ornate pipe, which is usually made out of glass or clay. There's water in the bottom, which filters the smoke leading people to believe hookahs are safer than smoking cigarettes, but they're terribly mistaken.

The problem is that hookah users tend to inhale far more smoke than cigarette smokers. More smoke means higher levels of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other nasty chemicals. In a study published by the World Health Organization, they found that an average cigarette smoker took 8 to 12 puffs, and inhaled 0.5 to 0.6 liters of smoke over five to seven minutes. A hookah smoker may take anywhere from 20 to 200 puffs in one night, and each puff equals about one liter of smoke each. That means one hookah smoking session could equate to smoking 40 to 400 cigarettes. Yikes!

Here's the deal. Smoking flavored tobacco from a hookah is not any healthier than smoking regular cigarettes, and could actually be worse since you're inhaling more smoke, nicotine, and other chemicals. So don't get hooked on the hookah scene.

Source

Are Cigars Healthier Than Cigarettes?

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:30:00 PDT

I was out with some friends who were celebrating their engagement, and one of the guys pulled out some cigars. He offered one to me and I gave him this look like "Are you serious?" and he said, "Cigars aren't bad for you because you don't even inhale."

When you smoke a cigar, you're only supposed to suck the smoke into your mouth then blow the smoke out. So does that means it's any better for you than cigarettes?

It's still a tobacco product like cigarettes, right, so I think you know what the answer is. Large cigars typically contain between 5 and 17 grams of tobacco. Some premium brands have as much tobacco in 1 cigar as in a whole pack of cigarettes!

Plus, the tobacco in cigars is different than what's found in cigarettes. It's fermented tobacco, so it has a high concentration of nitrogen compounds. When smoked, these compounds give off several tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), some of the most potent human carcinogens known. Also, because the cigar wrapper is less porous than cigarette paper, the tobacco doesn't burn as completely. The result is a higher concentration of nitrogen oxides, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and tar -- all very harmful substances.

What about secondhand smoke? To hear all about it

read more Large cigars can take about 1 to 2 hours to smoke. Even though you may not be inhaling directly from the cigar itself, you are still inhaling secondhand smoke for that long. Secondhand smoke has been classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) by the EPA. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds. More than 60 of these are known or suspected to cause cancer including arsenic, benzene, and vinyl chloride. Still want to take a puff? Exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate effects on your cardiovascular system, and puts you at risk for developing coronary heart disease and lung cancer. Cigar smokers may be exposed to a bunch of others cancers too, such as mouth cancer, throat cancer, and cancer of the gums. Why would you want to put yourself at risk? I just don't get it. Fit's Tips: So use your brain. Tobacco is tobacco, in any shape, and smoking tobacco products are known to cause illnesses and countless deaths. So take care of yourself and steer clear of cigarettes AND cigars. If not for yourself, than do it for the people who love you. I know I wouldn't want to have to explain to my family that I got lung cancer from smoking. Source

Your Lungs: Cigarettes, Marijuana & Office Equipment and More

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:00:00 PDT

Although it is illicit, stoners for decades have touted their drug of choice as a healthy alternative to cigarettes. An interesting myth created under a purple haze if you ask me. New research proves that cannabis is hard on the lungs, but how hard?

Actually, lung health has been a hot topic in the news recently and when something is bad for the lungs cigarettes are brought out as the measuring stick for damage.

So believe it or not - this is the first cigarette themed quiz here on FitSugar.

Take the Quiz

What Causes Hiccups?

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:30:00 PDT

Everyone and their mother seems to have a unique cure for a bad case of the hiccups, but what I want to know is, what causes them in the first place?

A hiccup is an unintentional contraction of your diaphragm, the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen. It plays an important role in breathing, and when it contracts, it makes your vocal cords close briefly and that's what causes the sound of a hiccup.

Hiccups are actually triggered by many things:

Eating spicy foods - It can cause irritation to the nerves that control normal contractions of your diaphragm.
Eating a large meal, eating too fast (swallowing air), or drinking carbonated beverages - These can cause your stomach to expand, which pushes up your diaphragm, making hiccups more likely.
Drinking alcohol - Alcohol can relax your diaphragm and vocal cords, making it easier for other factors to trigger hiccups.
Tobacco use - Tobacco use may irritate the nerves that control the diaphragm.

Want to know what else can cause hiccups? Then

Sudden temperature changes - Whether the change occurs inside your body (like drinking hot tea), or outside your body (when you go outside in the snow), it can cause hiccups.
Excitement or emotional stress - It's not clear why this can cause hiccups, but it may have to do with one of the nerves involved in the hiccup reflex being startled.

As annoying as hiccups can be, even if you don't sip water through a straw while pinching your nose, or hold your breath while saying the word "hippopotamus" in your head 5 times, hiccups will eventually go away on their own. Very rarely do hiccups last for more than 20-30 minutes. If they do, like this poor girl who had them for 3 weeks straight, there could be an underlying medical problem such as nerve damage. If this is the case, someone should definitely seek medical attention pronto. Source

Today Is International NO Tobacco Day

FitSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:00:00 PDT

Today is International NO Tobacco Day, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO). The theme this year is Smoke Free Environments.

Here is what WHO has to day about tobacco and second hand smoke.

Tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world. It is well known that half the people who smoke regularly today – about 650 million people – will eventually be killed by tobacco. Equally alarming is the fact that hundreds of thousands of people who have never smoked die each year from diseases caused by breathing second-hand tobacco smoke.

In attempts to protect non-smokers WHO is making strong recommendations that all indoor public places and workplaces become 100% smoke-free as soon as possible. Since there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, let's hope every country takes these recommendations seriously and acts now.

Fit's Tip: If you are considering quitting tobacco I think today is the perfect day to start. Check out these tips from the
American Cancer Society - they will definitely help the process!!!

Cover Your Children's Eyes

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 02:00:00 PST

Imagine this, you're watching a movie with your child (niece or nephew) and a fairly risky scene comes on so you cover his or her eyes until the characters are done with their sex and onto their cigarettes. Seems normal, right?

Researchers are reporting that each year in the United States, some 1.4 million children under age 18 start smoking, and half of these start as a direct result of tobacco advertising, which includes the portrayal of tobacco use in films, TV or videos.

Exposure to positive images of smoking increased the odds that children would smoke by about 90%. Children that were exposed to tobacco ads and positive images of smoking were about 50% more likely to want to smoke in the future. In addition, tobacco marketing and media increased the chances that children who already smoked would become heavier smokers by 42%.

So you may want to start adding smoking to the list of things you cover your child's eyes for in movies.