Health Wrap: Week of June 26th

Because of the research, the authors say that drugs protective of the cardiovascular system, like aspirin and cholesterol lowering medicines, should be started at an earlier age, perhaps way before the 40’s. Stressed-out workers are at risk for high blood pressure, according to a study of more than 8,000 professionals.

 The study found that job strain was more likely to raise blood pressure in men than women, but both genders faced the health risk especially if they lacked social support at work. High blood pressure is of course a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke. You hear the word light cigarette, you’d think they would be less dangerous. But they’re not, in any way, less of a health threat, and in fact, they may be more of a problem.

 New research suggests light cigarettes, which are low in tar and nicotine, may actually deter smokers from kicking the habit. A study of more than 12 thousand current and former smokers found just over a third had used light cigarettes in an attempt to reduce their health risk. But those who had ever used light cigarettes were more than 50 percent less likely to have quit smoking than those who had never smoked light cigarettes, perhaps because of the percieved safety.

And when smokers quit, they gain about twenty pounds according to new data out of the Universities of Michigan and Cal-Berkeley. This is, according to experts, not just a cosmetic issue…it’s a significant health issue as well. The answer, they say, is not to not try to quit…it’s to figure out better avenues to helping those who do decide to quit to keep the weight off.

There may be hope in the near future in the experiment drug rimonabant—which has gotten a lot of press lately. It provides both weight loss and smoking cessation benefits, so it might be a great avenue to help curb weight loss while trying to kick the habit.