A key receptor cuts the urge for nicotine, rat study suggests.  Blocking a neuropeptide receptor in the brain may be one way to quickly lessen the desire for a cigarette, a new study suggests. Hypocretin-1, or Orexin A, a short chain of amino acids found in nerve tissue, appears to initiate a series of closely linked biochemical reactions that makes lab rats crave nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco, according to researchers at the Scripps Florida research institute in Jupiter.

That's a steep decline, but the numbers are still troubling, researchers say. Like Americans in general, fewer U.S. nurses are smoking than ever, but the habit's effects on those who do are still devastating, according to a new study.  The UCLA School of Nursing study found that the rate of smoking among nurses has fallen from 33.2 percent in 1976 to 8.4 percent in 2003.

When hosting for the holiday season, be aware that one in six American suffer from either allergies or asthma. The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology offers these tips for party throwers to help ensure their guests' asthma and allergy symptoms don't rear up.

More carotid artery thickening in these young adults points to danger, study finds. Damage to the arteries of children of smokers can be detected in the early decades of their lives, a new Dutch study finds.

American Cancer Society urges people to stop for a day, then for life. But just last week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that the United States won't meet the Healthy People 2010 objective of reducing the adult smoking rate to 12 percent or less.

But research is preliminary, scientists stress. Canadian scientists may have discovered a genetic trait that could provide an early indication of which former smokers will develop lung cancer.

Risk factors study found little link between drinking and malignancies. How you live affects your chances of developing cancer after age 65, new research finds.

Certain of these tumors are rising in incidence, experts note. Smoking and drinking are associated with three esophageal and stomach cancer subtypes, say Dutch researchers who conducted a long-term study of almost 121,000 people.

Study in mice points to real damage, scientists say. In research that might have implications for human reproduction, U.S. and Chinese scientists have found that cigarette smoke damages mouse eggs and embryos.

Survey finds nearly two-thirds of Americans believe so, even though most victims don't smoke at diagnosis. A majority of Americans, including many health-care workers, believe that people who have lung cancer are at least partly to blame for their disease, a new survey finds.

Almost 20% of adults smoked last year, far short of government objective of 12%, CDC says. It's unlikely the United States will meet its Healthy People 2010 objective of reducing the adult smoking rate to 12 percent or less, say experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Every former smoker saves $20,000 in health costs, American Lung Association reports.  Lives and money are being wasted because most states aren't doing enough to make it easy for smokers to access comprehensive anti-tobacco treatments, according to an American Lung Association report released Thursday.

March of Dimes says 18 states plus Puerto Rico and District of Columbia get failing grades. When it comes to premature birth rates, the United States rates a "D," and 18 states plus Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia get failing grades.

Two factors increase risk 8-fold, researchers say. Everyone knows smoking and being obese is not healthy for you, but now a new study shows the odds of dying early are highest among obese smokers.

Having 4 or more of these 11 genotypes triples risk of disease, study funds. Eleven genetic variations believed to be predictors of esophageal cancer have been identified by U.S. researchers.

Study finds twice the incidence of 'food insecurity.' Children who live with adult smokers are more likely to be underfed and undernourished, a new study finds.

Study shows help with diet, tobacco use boosted employees' overall fitness. Workplace environmental interventions designed to reduce employee obesity led to modest health improvements, including weight management, decreased tobacco use and lower blood pressure, say Emory University researchers.

The less-hooked may have already quit, leaving 'hard-core' group behind, experts say.  Almost 75 percent of current smokers trying to kick the habit are now highly nicotine-dependent, which is a 15-year high, a new study finds.

Study finds most get less than 5 hours instruction, likely affecting patients' quit rates, study finds. Few doctors or other health-care providers have enough smoking cessation training to help their patients quit smoking, a U.S. study suggests.

Studies suggest it may be best to kick both habits at once. Overcoming alcoholism is tough enough. That's one reason many alcoholics who smoke continue to light up even while they're in recovery from alcohol dependency.

Leadership has to come from White House to offset growing complacency, presidential panel says. America has grown complacent in its war on cancer, so it must redouble its efforts to defeat this often-deadly disease. And the leadership for this campaign must come directly from the White House.

Kids at higher risk, since they breathe in more air by weight than adults, study says. Children exposed to secondhand smoke often have levels of carbon monoxide in their blood that are similar to those of adult smokers, and frequently higher levels than adults exposed to secondhand smoke, a new study found.

Advice on how to stop If you smoke and you're pregnant or planning to become pregnant, it's especially important to kick the habit now. The toxic chemicals inhaled when you smoke are easily passed to the unborn baby.

Men who light up show less improvement after therapy, study says. Women appear to respond better than men to chronic pain treatment, and men who smoke appear to receive even less of benefit, a new study says.

Study finds that less than a pack a week can impair arteries. Even if you only sneak an occasional smoke, you are still doing damage to your arteries, a new study shows.

Early study suggests it pushes cells to migrate to distant sites. Nicotine may help push breast cancer cells from the original tumor to other parts of the body, contributing to the metastasis that so often kills patients.

The combination nearly tripled the risk for children under 4, study found. Certain genetic variations previously identified as putting people at higher risk for asthma apparently only increase the risk of so-called early-onset asthma, which is disease that appears at 4 years of age or younger.

Women who smoke are eight times more likely to suffer a potentially fatal rupture of the body's largest artery, or require surgery to repair the weakening that can cause such a rupture, than nonsmokers.

It even affects quality of life in those who quit, Finnish study reports. Everyone knows smoking isn't good for you, but now Finnish researchers report that men who smoke not only die younger but they have a poorer quality of life than those who never smoked.

But authors say research, which focused on men, doesn't mean it's OK to smoke. Men who drink a moderate amount of red wine may lower their risk of lung cancer, even if they smoke, researchers report.

Study mirrors previous findings in boys, researchers say. Stimulant treatment for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) significantly cuts the odds that adolescent girls will smoke, drink alcohol or use drugs, a new Massachusetts General Hospital study shows.

 For patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tiotropium (Spiriva) improves lung function and quality of life but does not significantly slow progression of the disease, a new study finds.

Even non-daily puffers 16 times more likely to be hazardous drinkers, study says. Young adults who are casual smokers are 16 times more likely than nonsmokers to be hazardous drinkers and five times more likely to have alcohol-use disorders (AUDs), a U.S. study finds.

More smoking, hypertension, diabetes may explain statistics, study says. American Indians have a higher incidence of stroke than blacks or whites, and their first strokes may be more deadly, a new study suggests.

They face 69% increased risk for heart disease, 56% risk of ischemic stroke, study finds. Women exposed to secondhand smoke at home or in the workplace had a 67 percent increased risk of peripheral artery disease (PAD) compared to women who weren't exposed, a new study says.

Good living can reduce the risk of dying from heart disease and cancer, study shows. Women who don't smoke, maintain a healthy weight, eat a healthful diet, and get regular physical exercise significantly reduce their risk of dying from any cause, and particularly from heart disease and cancer, Harvard University researchers report.

When not in a state of craving, they may underestimate intensity of future urge to light up. If you're not craving a hit of nicotine the moment you declare you are quitting smoking, your battle just got a little tougher, say researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University.

The most comprehensive global snapshot ever taken of lung cancer diagnoses and related death rates among patients who have never smoked has found that, contrary to prior indications, lung cancer risk is not on the rise.

Fewer U.S. college students (1 in 5) are smoking than ever before, but college and university leaders need to take a stand against aggressive tobacco industry marketing tactics to ensure student smoking rates don't increase, a new American Lung Association report finds.

Men with prior history of COPD 6 times more likely to develop malignancy, study suggests.  A new lung cancer risk assessment designed specifically for black Americans suggests that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a much greater lung cancer risk factor for blacks than for whites.

The U.S. review covered the period from 1999 to 2004. Lung and bronchial cancers accounted for almost half of the approximately 2.4 million tobacco-related cancers diagnosed in the United States between 1999 and 2004, says a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released Thursday.

Fetal exposure to cigarette smoke appears to lower breathing recovery, study finds. Babies born prematurely to women who smoked during their pregnancy may be at higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than premature infants born to nonsmoking moms, new research suggests.

Found in cigarette smoke, fertilizers, even low levels of the metal can double risk. The metal cadmium plays a major role in causing emphysema, and even low-level exposure through secondhand smoke and other sources can increase the risk of lung disease, a new study says.

Rapid benefits tied to fact it was directed at adults, not youth, study finds. California's state tobacco program resulted in a 50-to-1 return on investment over 15 years, say researchers from the University of California, San Francisco.

But parental behavior remains strong influence on kids' attitudes, study says. A new study finds that parents who enforce a no-smoking ban at home are less likely to have teens who experiment with cigarettes.

Understanding link may help doctors better counsel patients before operations. Patients who smoke are more likely to develop bleeding after throat surgery, a U.S. study finds.

Living a healthy lifestyle can cut your risk of stroke by about 80 percent, new research suggests. Women who pursued healthy habits -- not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly and drinking moderate amounts of alcohol -- had a 79 percent reduced risk of any stroke, and an 81 percent decreased risk of ischemic stroke.

Smokers were 8 times more likely than never-smokers to report 'buzz' with first cigarette. A gene variant that may influence a person's initial response to smoking and lifetime smoking habits has been identified by a team of researchers.

Study finds despite hazards, many put themselves at increased risk for second malignancies. A fifth of British adults who survived childhood cancers currently smoke, while almost a third were regular smokers at one time in their lives, a new study reports.

Heart association seeks policy, social changes that boost healthier eating, exercise. Reducing the high rate of obesity in the United States requires a comprehensive, population-based strategy, says a new American Heart Association (AHA) scientific statement.

Rap music especially prone to these types of lyrics, survey finds. About one-third of hit songs -- including three-quarters of rap songs -- have some form of explicit reference to drug, alcohol or tobacco use, a new study found.

Findings could lead to new therapies to prevent nicotine craving. New insight into how the brain processes the rewarding and addictive properties of nicotine sheds light on why some people seem to become addicted once they have their first cigarette, say Canadian researchers.

The widely used anti-clotting drug Plavix appears to have a stronger effect in people who smoke, a study indicates. Plavix (clopidogrel) is often given to heart attack patients after the attack. It inhibits formation of clots by blood cells called platelets.

After a ban on smoking in all enclosed public places was introduced in Scotland in March 2006, there was a 17 percent reduction in hospital admissions for acute coronary syndrome, says a new study that provides further proof that smoke-free laws provide health benefits.

Despite high levels of smoking, Japanese men are far less likely to have dangerous plaque build-up in their blood vessels than white or Japanese-American men, a difference that researchers believe stems from a lifelong, near-daily consumption of fish.

Nonsmokers who are married to smokers run a significantly higher risk for experiencing a stroke, a new study suggests. Researchers also found that ex-smokers married to men and women who still smoke carry an even greater risk for stroke.

Cigarette compounds mimicking viral components caused more severe airway damage in mice. In experiments with mice, U.S. researchers have discovered why viral infections have more severe consequences in smokers than in nonsmokers. For example, smokers with influenza are more likely to die than nonsmokers with influenza.

But the study didn't find a similar effect on boys. Eating meals together as a family can reduce a teen girl's risk of turning to alcohol or drugs, a new study suggests.

But smoking may increase the likelihood of relapse, expert says. Of the more than 1 million Americans who join Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), almost all drink coffee and close to 60 percent smoke, Vanderbilt University researchers report.

Having 2 copies of variant, puffing before age 17 boosted odss for being heavy smoker. People with certain common genetic variations that affect their nicotine receptors seem to be at higher risk for becoming life-long nicotine addicts if they begin smoking before they turn 17, a new study says.

Researchers say industry manipulates the ingredient to recruit new generation of users. Tobacco companies are manipulating menthol levels in cigarettes to appeal to newer, younger smokers, part of a deliberate strategy to get younger people, particularly African-Americans, hooked, a new study contends.

Smoking friends or stores selling cigarettes make the habit more likely, study finds. Kids who can get their hands easily on cigarettes -- say from friends or close acquaintances -- are more likely to end up with a regular smoking habit, a new study of sixth-graders finds.

Major study suggests slimming down, quitting smoking would boost average life span by 1.3 years. If 156 million adults in the United States took better care of themselves, the average American would live 1.3 years longer, and the number of heart attacks would fall by 63 percent.

Snuff, chew shouldn't be viewed as a safe alternative to smoking, experts say. Smokeless tobacco products (STPs), which include products such as snuff and chew tobacco, do increase the user's risk of cancer -- just not as much as smoking does.

They not only cut secondhand exposure but also helped current users cut back, study finds. Smoke-free policies are extremely effective at reducing smoking rates, exposure to secondhand smoke, and even smoking-related heart disease, new research shows.

Smoking can affect many parts of your body, even your bones and joints. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons lists these musculoskeletal problems that can be triggered by smoking