Smoking has long been known to damage lungs and cause heart disease. But it could also lower your IQ, research has found.
Young people who smoke regularly are likely to have markedly lower intelligence levels than those who do not smoke, and, according to the study of 20,000 young adults, the heavier the smoker, the lower the IQ.
Those who smoke a pack or more of cigarettes a day averaged an IQ seven and a half points lower than that of those who do not smoke.
A typical 18 to 21-year-old smoker was found to have an IQ of 94, while non-smokers of the same age averaged 101.
Those who smoked more than a pack a day had particularly low IQs of around 90. An average intelligence IQ score ranges from 84 to 116 points.
Crucially, brothers scored differently depending on whether or not they smoked.
Despite similar environmental conditions, non-smoking siblings achieved higher IQs than their smoking brothers.
The results come from a study of 20,000 young men conducted by the Sheba Medical Center at the Tel Hashomer Hospital in Israel.
Dr. Mark Weiser, who led the research, said it is unclear whether smoking causes IQ levels to drop or whether less intelligent people are simply more inclined to smoke.
'It was really quite a straightforward study,' he said.
'We looked at cross-sectional data on IQ and smoking cigarettes, and looked at people's smoking status and their IQs.
'IQ scores are lower in male adolescents who smoke compared to non-smokers and in brothers who smoke compared to their non-smoking brothers. The IQs of adolescents who began smoking between ages 18 to 21 are lower than those of non-smokers.
'It's very clear that people with low IQs are the ones who choose to smoke. It's not just a matter of socioeconomic status - if they are poor or have less education,' he said.
Dr Weiser suggested the results could confirm a previously held conviction that those with lower IQs tend to make poorer decisions regarding their health – that they are more likely to take drugs, eat unhealthy food and exercise less.
The study could also be used to prevent smoking in young people by targeting those with lower IQs, Dr Weiser said.
Researchers found that 28per cent of the teenagers polled smoked one or more cigarettes a day, three per cent admitted to having smoked in the past, while 68 per cent of the young men had never smoked.
In 2004, researchers from the University of Aberdeen first found a possible link between smoking and reduced mental function.
Hundreds of volunteers who had taken part in the Scottish Mental Survey in 1947 aged 11, retook tests 53 years later.
Smokers performed worse than ex-smokers and those who had never smoked.
Scientists cannot yet conclusively explain the link between impaired lung function and cognitive ageing but it has been suggested that smoking could put the brain under oxidative stress, which causes DNA damage.
Latest Marlboro Smoking News
Mar 29, 2010
Mar 15, 2010
Teen Smoking Called a 'National Catastrophe'
Moscow's top doctor said Friday that smoking-related diseases were growing and warned that teenage smoking was leading to a "national catastrophe."
Dr. Leonid Lazebnik painted a grim picture of the harm that tobacco was causing Russians, telling a round table that 65 percent of men and 30 percent of women have smoked at some time in their lives.
In contrast, Lazebnik said, the figures in the mid-1980s were 48 percent of men and 5 percent of women.
He said 24.6 percent of Muscovites are smokers.
"But the scariest thing of all is our future," Lazebnik said. "In Moscow, 73 percent of boys and 65 percent of girls smoke. I see this as a national catastrophe."
Lazebnik did not provide figures for the growth in smoking-related diseases.
City Hall and federal officials attending Friday's round table promised to lobby for laws that restricted smoking in public places and limited cigarette sales.
"We will have no success without a legal base," said Yulia Grimalskaya, deputy head of City Hall's department for family and youth policies.
She said her department was lobbying for a ban on selling cigarettes in kiosks, the licensing of tobacco sales and high fines for smoking in public places, including restaurants.
Nikolai Gerasimenko, first deputy head of State Duma's commission for health protection, called for higher excise duties on tobacco products, which he said would clear the market of contraband cigarettes and drive up cigarette prices, making them less affordable.
Russia has the lowest excise duties on tobacco goods in Europe, said Dmitry Yanin, chairman of the board at the International Confederation of Consumer Societies.
Yanin urged a ban on tobacco advertising and smoking in public places. "Smoking-free zones would boost Moscow's tourist potential," Yanin said.
Gerasimenko complained that foreign tobacco makers were making money at Russia's expense.
"They get their profits, while we spend lots of money on medical treatment," he said.
About 10 percent of tobacco traders on the Russian market are foreign, he said.
Lyudmila Stebenkova, head of the Moscow City Duma's commission for public health protection, suggested that restaurants consider offering smoke-free days.
She also said the public needed to be educated about the dangers of smoking through anti-tobacco billboards. Her commission is responsible for creating such billboards, including one that depicts a hand squeezing a dirty sponge, which is compared to a smoker's lung, that was used in a citywide campaign late last year.
According to a survey conducted by the state-run VTsIOM polling agency in December, those billboards, which were posted around the city in November, had led 7 percent of respondents to quit smoking.
The survey questioned 1,000 Muscovites, all of them smokers or former smokers, a VTsIOM spokeswoman said by telephone. It offered no margin of error.
Dr. Leonid Lazebnik painted a grim picture of the harm that tobacco was causing Russians, telling a round table that 65 percent of men and 30 percent of women have smoked at some time in their lives.
In contrast, Lazebnik said, the figures in the mid-1980s were 48 percent of men and 5 percent of women.
He said 24.6 percent of Muscovites are smokers.
"But the scariest thing of all is our future," Lazebnik said. "In Moscow, 73 percent of boys and 65 percent of girls smoke. I see this as a national catastrophe."
Lazebnik did not provide figures for the growth in smoking-related diseases.
City Hall and federal officials attending Friday's round table promised to lobby for laws that restricted smoking in public places and limited cigarette sales.
"We will have no success without a legal base," said Yulia Grimalskaya, deputy head of City Hall's department for family and youth policies.
She said her department was lobbying for a ban on selling cigarettes in kiosks, the licensing of tobacco sales and high fines for smoking in public places, including restaurants.
Nikolai Gerasimenko, first deputy head of State Duma's commission for health protection, called for higher excise duties on tobacco products, which he said would clear the market of contraband cigarettes and drive up cigarette prices, making them less affordable.
Russia has the lowest excise duties on tobacco goods in Europe, said Dmitry Yanin, chairman of the board at the International Confederation of Consumer Societies.
Yanin urged a ban on tobacco advertising and smoking in public places. "Smoking-free zones would boost Moscow's tourist potential," Yanin said.
Gerasimenko complained that foreign tobacco makers were making money at Russia's expense.
"They get their profits, while we spend lots of money on medical treatment," he said.
About 10 percent of tobacco traders on the Russian market are foreign, he said.
Lyudmila Stebenkova, head of the Moscow City Duma's commission for public health protection, suggested that restaurants consider offering smoke-free days.
She also said the public needed to be educated about the dangers of smoking through anti-tobacco billboards. Her commission is responsible for creating such billboards, including one that depicts a hand squeezing a dirty sponge, which is compared to a smoker's lung, that was used in a citywide campaign late last year.
According to a survey conducted by the state-run VTsIOM polling agency in December, those billboards, which were posted around the city in November, had led 7 percent of respondents to quit smoking.
The survey questioned 1,000 Muscovites, all of them smokers or former smokers, a VTsIOM spokeswoman said by telephone. It offered no margin of error.
Mar 9, 2010
New way of cigarette smuggling discovered
Since the Health and Welfare Surcharge on tobacco was implemented in 2002, the smuggling of small cigarette brands is getting a lot more serious, according to
Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation (TTLC).
Illegal cigarette sellers first created their own brand of cigarette, and got the cigarettes manufactured in the Mainland and other Asian countries. They imported a small proportion of the cigarettes into Taiwan through legal means, and smuggled the rest.
When the smugglers were questioned, they could provide proof that their cigarettes were registered and were sold legally. Also, the majority of these cigarettes were sold at betel nut stalls and night markets. It was hard for the customs offices to find enough evidence to prosecute the illegal groups.
TTLC believes that these illegal tobaccos have a market share of almost 10 percent.
In the past, most illegal cigarettes were counterfeited cigarettes selling under well-known brands. However, once they were caught, the smugglers had to face criminal charges and also had to pay the cigarette companies for their losses. By the new way, they can avoid both charges.
Custom offices estimated that more than NT$5 billion of tobacco tax was evaded through cigarette smuggling each year. For every pack of illegal cigarettes sold, NT$35 tax income was lost. In 2009, 10.27 million packs of tobacco were confiscated, 5.81 million more than 2008, accounting a 130 percent increase.
On Feb. 8, Taichung Custom Office had found smuggled cigarettes valued at NT$50 million, the biggest cigarette-smuggling case in 10 years.
Taiwan Tobacco & Liquor Corporation (TTLC).
Illegal cigarette sellers first created their own brand of cigarette, and got the cigarettes manufactured in the Mainland and other Asian countries. They imported a small proportion of the cigarettes into Taiwan through legal means, and smuggled the rest.
When the smugglers were questioned, they could provide proof that their cigarettes were registered and were sold legally. Also, the majority of these cigarettes were sold at betel nut stalls and night markets. It was hard for the customs offices to find enough evidence to prosecute the illegal groups.
TTLC believes that these illegal tobaccos have a market share of almost 10 percent.
In the past, most illegal cigarettes were counterfeited cigarettes selling under well-known brands. However, once they were caught, the smugglers had to face criminal charges and also had to pay the cigarette companies for their losses. By the new way, they can avoid both charges.
Custom offices estimated that more than NT$5 billion of tobacco tax was evaded through cigarette smuggling each year. For every pack of illegal cigarettes sold, NT$35 tax income was lost. In 2009, 10.27 million packs of tobacco were confiscated, 5.81 million more than 2008, accounting a 130 percent increase.
On Feb. 8, Taichung Custom Office had found smuggled cigarettes valued at NT$50 million, the biggest cigarette-smuggling case in 10 years.
Mar 1, 2010
Study compares advertising tactics between indoor tanning and tobacco industries to market unhealthy products
While the proven negative health consequences of smoking and tanning are undeniable, tobacco and indoor tanning advertisers would like consumers to think otherwise. In fact, a new study comparing the tactics used in advertising tobacco and indoor tanning products found several similarities in how these two industries market unhealthy products.
In the report entitled, "Comparison of advertising strategies between the indoor tanning and tobacco industries," published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, dermatologist David A. Jones, MD, PhD, FAAD, in private practice in Newton, Mass., presented results of an observational study which concluded that both industries employ advertising strategies to counteract health concerns of their products in order to positively influence the consumer's perception of smoking and indoor tanning and drive industry demand.
"The indoor tanning industry reported domestic sales in excess of $2.7 billion in 2007 , and it relies heavily on advertising to sell the misleading idea of a 'safe' or 'healthy' tan to the public," said Dr. Jones. "Even though it is well documented that UV radiation from natural sunlight and indoor tanning devices is a known cause of skin cancer, the public is not always aware of the serious health risks associated with indoor tanning - and the tanning industry's advertising practices capitalize on this fact."
In reviewing 2,000 advertisements from four large tobacco advertising image databases, Dr. Jones and his colleague, Jennifer Herrmann, MD, identified four key strategy profiles that were used to sell their products. These strategies included: mitigating health concerns, appealing to a sense of social acceptance, emphasizing psychotrophic effects, and targeting specific population segments. Dr. Jones added that tobacco advertising was selected as a reference framework because it is well documented and designed to promote a product with known health hazards.
Subsequently, a collection of approximately 350 contemporary tanning advertisements was compiled from a variety of sources - such as industry magazines, salon and industry Web sites, and in-store promotional materials - and evaluated based on the four key strategies identified in the tobacco advertisements.
As the increased incidence of lung cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and other health risks linked to smoking continued to mount over the years, the tobacco industry adjusted its advertising strategy to mitigate these known health risks. Specifically, the tobacco industry recruited physicians as crucial allies in marketing their products, reassured the public that their brands had competitive health advantages, and commended the intelligence of smokers for choosing cigarettes marketed as "safer" cigarettes.
Using Physicians as Allies
Dating back to the 1930s and 1940s, Dr. Jones and his colleague found that physicians wearing white lab coats frequently appeared in cigarette advertisements - using the doctor's image to reassure consumers that cigarettes were safe. Similarly, indoor tanning advertisements have resorted to using physicians and citing medical research studies to try to persuade the public that indoor tanning is somehow "safe" or "safer" than tanning outdoors.
"The thinking behind these ads is that if physicians do something, then somehow it must be okay," said Dr. Jones. "However, these ads omit the results of a recent survey indicating that 100 percent of dermatologists and 84 percent of non-dermatologist physicians would discourage UV tanning for non-medical purposes, even in healthy patients."
Promoting Misleading Health Advantages
When awareness of the health risks of cigarettes began to grow in the 1950s and 1960s, the tobacco industry responded with what it coined as "safer," "filtered" cigarettes. Dr. Jones noted that the goal of these ads was to convince consumers that filtered cigarettes provided protection from harmful effects of smoking, but without admitting that smoking was detrimental to one's health.
To dispel growing concerns about the dangers of UV exposure, the indoor tanning industry countered with "harm reduction" campaigns that were similar to those used by the tobacco industry. For example, some advertisers began promoting their tanning beds as "UVB-free" or "99% pure UVA" during the 1980s when research confirmed that UVB rays are carcinogenic. These ads, of course, failed to mention that UVA rays also are harmful and can cause skin cancer.
Another popular harm reduction tactic used in tanning advertisements is to promote the health benefits of vitamin D production from UV exposure. In these types of ads, consumers are led to believe that UV exposure from both natural sunlight and tanning beds is beneficial in producing vitamin D, which research suggests may provide protection against heart disease and other cancers.
"What these ads omit is that UV exposure increases your risk of skin cancer, and there are safer ways to get this important vitamin," said Dr. Jones. "An adequate amount of vitamin D can be obtained from vitamin D supplements - without the health risks of obtaining vitamin D from intentional UV exposure."
Nothing Smart about Ads that Appeal to the Consumer's Intelligence
Another tactic used by tobacco manufacturers in advertising is to try to somehow make consumers believe they are "smart" by smoking a certain brand of cigarettes over another brand. Dr. Jones and his colleague found that the indoor tanning industry makes similar appeals to the intelligence of consumers by promoting sunburn prevention at tanning bed facilities through trained professionals who teach consumers how to "tan safely" without getting sunburned.
"This tactic fails to mention that tanning to prevent sunburn provides only an SPF protection of 3, while simultaneously causing damage to the skin that can lead to future skin cancers," said Dr. Jones. "In addition, studies also show that staff members of indoor tanning facilities do not always enforce the tanning intensity of tanning beds and time regulations of their patrons."
While Dr. Jones and his colleague concluded that further consumer education about the dangers of tanning is needed, they also point out that the lack of government regulation has allowed the tanning industry to thrive on the public's misconceptions about tanning through deceptive advertising practices.
FTC Bans Misleading Indoor Tanning Ads
Recognizing the seriousness of this issue, in January 2010 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. The American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial.
"The American Academy of Dermatology commends the FTC for its investigation into the false and deceptive health and safety claims about indoor tanning being perpetuated by the indoor tanning industry," said dermatologist David M. Pariser, MD, FAAD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology. "The scientific facts are clear: Exposure to UV radiation - either from the sun or from artificial light sources such as indoor tanning - increases the risk of developing skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer."
In the report entitled, "Comparison of advertising strategies between the indoor tanning and tobacco industries," published online in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, dermatologist David A. Jones, MD, PhD, FAAD, in private practice in Newton, Mass., presented results of an observational study which concluded that both industries employ advertising strategies to counteract health concerns of their products in order to positively influence the consumer's perception of smoking and indoor tanning and drive industry demand.
"The indoor tanning industry reported domestic sales in excess of $2.7 billion in 2007 , and it relies heavily on advertising to sell the misleading idea of a 'safe' or 'healthy' tan to the public," said Dr. Jones. "Even though it is well documented that UV radiation from natural sunlight and indoor tanning devices is a known cause of skin cancer, the public is not always aware of the serious health risks associated with indoor tanning - and the tanning industry's advertising practices capitalize on this fact."
In reviewing 2,000 advertisements from four large tobacco advertising image databases, Dr. Jones and his colleague, Jennifer Herrmann, MD, identified four key strategy profiles that were used to sell their products. These strategies included: mitigating health concerns, appealing to a sense of social acceptance, emphasizing psychotrophic effects, and targeting specific population segments. Dr. Jones added that tobacco advertising was selected as a reference framework because it is well documented and designed to promote a product with known health hazards.
Subsequently, a collection of approximately 350 contemporary tanning advertisements was compiled from a variety of sources - such as industry magazines, salon and industry Web sites, and in-store promotional materials - and evaluated based on the four key strategies identified in the tobacco advertisements.
As the increased incidence of lung cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular diseases and other health risks linked to smoking continued to mount over the years, the tobacco industry adjusted its advertising strategy to mitigate these known health risks. Specifically, the tobacco industry recruited physicians as crucial allies in marketing their products, reassured the public that their brands had competitive health advantages, and commended the intelligence of smokers for choosing cigarettes marketed as "safer" cigarettes.
Using Physicians as Allies
Dating back to the 1930s and 1940s, Dr. Jones and his colleague found that physicians wearing white lab coats frequently appeared in cigarette advertisements - using the doctor's image to reassure consumers that cigarettes were safe. Similarly, indoor tanning advertisements have resorted to using physicians and citing medical research studies to try to persuade the public that indoor tanning is somehow "safe" or "safer" than tanning outdoors.
"The thinking behind these ads is that if physicians do something, then somehow it must be okay," said Dr. Jones. "However, these ads omit the results of a recent survey indicating that 100 percent of dermatologists and 84 percent of non-dermatologist physicians would discourage UV tanning for non-medical purposes, even in healthy patients."
Promoting Misleading Health Advantages
When awareness of the health risks of cigarettes began to grow in the 1950s and 1960s, the tobacco industry responded with what it coined as "safer," "filtered" cigarettes. Dr. Jones noted that the goal of these ads was to convince consumers that filtered cigarettes provided protection from harmful effects of smoking, but without admitting that smoking was detrimental to one's health.
To dispel growing concerns about the dangers of UV exposure, the indoor tanning industry countered with "harm reduction" campaigns that were similar to those used by the tobacco industry. For example, some advertisers began promoting their tanning beds as "UVB-free" or "99% pure UVA" during the 1980s when research confirmed that UVB rays are carcinogenic. These ads, of course, failed to mention that UVA rays also are harmful and can cause skin cancer.
Another popular harm reduction tactic used in tanning advertisements is to promote the health benefits of vitamin D production from UV exposure. In these types of ads, consumers are led to believe that UV exposure from both natural sunlight and tanning beds is beneficial in producing vitamin D, which research suggests may provide protection against heart disease and other cancers.
"What these ads omit is that UV exposure increases your risk of skin cancer, and there are safer ways to get this important vitamin," said Dr. Jones. "An adequate amount of vitamin D can be obtained from vitamin D supplements - without the health risks of obtaining vitamin D from intentional UV exposure."
Nothing Smart about Ads that Appeal to the Consumer's Intelligence
Another tactic used by tobacco manufacturers in advertising is to try to somehow make consumers believe they are "smart" by smoking a certain brand of cigarettes over another brand. Dr. Jones and his colleague found that the indoor tanning industry makes similar appeals to the intelligence of consumers by promoting sunburn prevention at tanning bed facilities through trained professionals who teach consumers how to "tan safely" without getting sunburned.
"This tactic fails to mention that tanning to prevent sunburn provides only an SPF protection of 3, while simultaneously causing damage to the skin that can lead to future skin cancers," said Dr. Jones. "In addition, studies also show that staff members of indoor tanning facilities do not always enforce the tanning intensity of tanning beds and time regulations of their patrons."
While Dr. Jones and his colleague concluded that further consumer education about the dangers of tanning is needed, they also point out that the lack of government regulation has allowed the tanning industry to thrive on the public's misconceptions about tanning through deceptive advertising practices.
FTC Bans Misleading Indoor Tanning Ads
Recognizing the seriousness of this issue, in January 2010 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a consent order that prohibits the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) from making false health and safety claims about indoor tanning. The American Academy of Dermatology (Academy) raised its concerns about the false statements being made by the ITA with the FTC in 2008 after the ITA launched an advertising campaign designed to portray indoor tanning as safe and beneficial.
"The American Academy of Dermatology commends the FTC for its investigation into the false and deceptive health and safety claims about indoor tanning being perpetuated by the indoor tanning industry," said dermatologist David M. Pariser, MD, FAAD, president of the American Academy of Dermatology. "The scientific facts are clear: Exposure to UV radiation - either from the sun or from artificial light sources such as indoor tanning - increases the risk of developing skin cancer, including melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer."
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