Smoking Doubles Dementia, Alzheimer’s Risk

Smoking more than two packs of cigarettes a day during middle-age can double your risk of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia 20 years later, a new study reveals.

Tobacco smoking causes millions of deaths each year, mostly to lung cancer and cardiovascular disease, but also other maladies like emphysema and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), even diabetes.

For the new study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers reviewed data on 21,123 members of a health plan who took part in a survey in their 50s and 60s.

Among the participants, 25%, 5,367 people, had been diagnosed with dementia during a 20 year follow-up, and of that 25%, 1,136 study participants were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Smokers fared the worst.

Compared to nonsmokers, individuals who smoked more than two packs a day had a 114% increased risk of dementia and a 157% higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers say it is hard to determine why smoking increases the risk of brain disorders because people often die before thorough analysis can be conducted.

Smoking has been humanity’s favorite bad habit for thousands of years, dating back as early as 5000 to 3000 BC where tobacco smoking was used as a part of religious ceremonies and rituals. But nowadays smoking is becoming less and less accepted, with states like New York and California banning smoking in bars.

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Green Vegetables May Help Cut Breast Cancer Risk

Cruciferous, or “leafy green,” vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbage, and collard greens, may help prevent an aggressive form of breast cancer, suggests a new study.

Leafy greens are considered among the healthiest foods in the world; high in vitamin C, fiber, and anti-cancer compounds like sulforaphane and selenium.

Writing in the American Journal of Epidemiology, researchers tracked the diets and health of over 50,000 African American women across the United States for 12 years. And during that period 1,300 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.

Among the 1,300 new cases of breast cancer, 35% of women developed ER-negative breast cancer. But women eating at least two servings of vegetables per day had a 43% lower risk of ER-negative breast cancer, compared to women who ate fewer vegetables each week. Vegetables like broccoli, collard greens, cabbage, and carrots, were identified as lowering the risk of all cancers.

Results did not indicate a similar anti-cancer effect with fruit.

The researchers insist it is too early to label the relationship between breast cancer and vegetables as “cause and effect,” but suggest eating more vegetables could contribute to an overall healthier lifestyle.

Other cruciferous vegetables include kale, kohlrabi, cauliflower, turnip greens, broccoli rabe, arugula, watercress, radish, and daikon.

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Girls with Heavy College Roommates Gain Less Weight

College is the home of the dreaded “freshman fifteen;” the weight many students gain during their first year of school. Most kids try to avoid the freshman fifteen, but all that beer and pizza will creep up on you.

But if you’re a girl, a new study says you’re less likely to gain weight during your freshman year if your roommate is heavy.

Presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Health Economists, scientists discovered college girls with roommates who have above average weight, gain less weight during their freshman year, than female students with slimmer roommates. The difference was a half a pound versus 2.5 pounds.

Researchers say heavier roommates are more likely to diet, exercise, and limit access to food, and these behaviors can be “contagious.”

Most of the time people pick friends and acquaintances that are similar to themselves. So the scientists speculate with randomly assigned roommates, you might be paired with a person you wouldn’t normally make friends with, like an overweight person. And this person’s unique habits may rub off on you.

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