Smoking News

October 6, 2025

Top Headlines

A Single Dose of Psilocybin May Rewire the Brain for Lasting Relief

Oct. 2, 2025 — Penn researchers found that psilocybin can calm brain circuits tied to pain and mood, easing both physical suffering and emotional distress in animal studies. The compound works in the anterior cingulate cortex, bypassing injury sites and offering a ...

What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Too Many Ultra-processed Foods

Sep. 27, 2025 — Ultra-processed foods make up the bulk of U.S. diets, and new research links high intake to inflammation, a predictor of heart disease. People consuming the most UPFs were far more likely to show elevated hs-CRP levels, especially older adults, ...

Smoking’s Hidden Gut Bacteria Trick May Lead to New Colitis Treatments

Sep. 19, 2025 — For decades, scientists have puzzled over why smoking makes Crohn’s disease worse but seems to protect people from ulcerative colitis. Now, researchers at RIKEN have discovered that smoking creates metabolites like hydroquinone that allow mouth ...

Wildfire Smoke Could Kill 70,000 Americans a Year by 2050

Sep. 19, 2025 — Wildfires are no longer a seasonal nuisance but a deadly, nationwide health crisis. Fueled by climate change, smoke is spreading farther and lingering longer, with new research warning of tens of thousands of additional deaths annually by ...

People with Eating Disorders Say Cannabis and Psychedelics Help More Than Antidepressants

July 24, 2025 — A massive global survey has revealed that people with eating disorders often turn to cannabis and psychedelics like magic mushrooms and LSD to ease their symptoms, rating them more effective than ...

Three-person DNA IVF Stops Inherited Disease—eight Healthy Babies Born in UK First

July 18, 2025 — In a groundbreaking UK first, eight healthy babies have been born using an IVF technique that includes DNA from three people—two parents and a female donor. The process, known as pronuclear ...

Deadly Disguise: How Candy-like Nicotine Pouches Caused a 763% Spike in Child Poisonings

July 14, 2025 — A massive spike in young children accidentally ingesting nicotine pouches has alarmed poison control researchers, with a 763% rise reported between 2020 and 2023. Unlike other nicotine products, ...

The Sleep-heart Link Doctors Are Urging Women over 45 to Know

July 10, 2025 — Midlife sleep habits may matter more than previously thought. A large study finds that poor sleep, alongside high blood pressure and nicotine use, sharply increases the risk of heart problems in menopausal women yet only 1 in 5 score well on overall ...

Pregnancy’s 100-million-year Secret: Inside the Placenta’s Evolutionary Power Play

July 6, 2025 — A group of scientists studying pregnancy across six different mammals—from humans to marsupials—uncovered how certain cells at the mother-baby boundary have been working together for over 100 ...

Synthetic Storm: What’s Really in Your Teen’s Vape — And Why Scientists Are Alarmed

July 1, 2025 — Teen vaping is changing fast — and not in a good way. A large national study found that more adolescents are vaping THC, CBD, and especially synthetic cannabinoids, which are often unregulated and ...

Fire Smoke Exposure Leaves Toxic Metals and Lasting Immune Changes

June 30, 2025 — Smoke from wildfires and structural fires doesn t just irritate lungs it actually changes your immune system. Harvard scientists found that even healthy people exposed to smoke showed signs of immune system activation, genetic changes tied to ...

Unusual Carbon Build-up Found in Lungs of COPD Patients

June 10, 2025 — Scientists have discovered that people with COPD have lung cells that contain over three times as much soot-like carbon as those of smokers without the disease. These overloaded cells are larger and trigger more inflammation, suggesting that ...

Latest Headlines

updated 10:52am EDT

Scientists Finally Explain the Real Reason Pregnant Women Get Morning Sickness

Sep. 29, 2025 — Morning sickness isn’t just random misery—it’s a biological defense system shaped by evolution to protect the fetus. By linking immune ...

Why Gen X Women Can’t Stop Eating Ultra-Processed Foods

Sep. 29, 2025 — Researchers found that middle-aged adults, especially women, are far more likely to be addicted to ultra-processed foods than older generations. Marketing of diet-focused processed foods in the 1980s ...

Significant Declines in Maternal Mental Health Across US

May 30, 2025 — A new study reveals a concerning decline in self-reported mental health among mothers in the United States between 2016 and 2023. The study also found modest but measurable declines in self-reported ...

New Study Analyzes Air Quality Impacts of Wildfire Smoke

May 28, 2025 — With wildfires increasing in frequency, severity, and size in the Western U.S., researchers are determined to better understand how smoke impacts air quality, public health, and even the weather. As ...

Whether It's Smoking or Edibles, Marijuana Can Be Bad for Your Heart, Study Suggests

May 28, 2025 — A new study finds that chronic cannabis use -- whether it's smoked or consumed in edible form -- is associated with significant cardiovascular ...

Unconditional Cash Transfers Following Childbirth Increases Breastfeeding

May 27, 2025 — The U.S. is facing a maternal health crisis with higher rates of maternal mortality than any other high-income country. Social and economic factors, including income, are recognized determinants of ...

Postpartum Depression and Bonding: Long-Term Effects on School-Age Children

May 14, 2025 — Postpartum maternal mental health and mother-to-infant bonding are well-established as critical factors in a child's psychosocial development. However, few studies have explored the combined impact ...

A Culturally Adapted Obesity Prevention for Latino Families

May 7, 2025 — A research team has adapted an intervention for childhood obesity prevention to better serve Latina mothers, non-maternal caregivers, and families of low-income backgrounds in Inland Southern ...

Evidence Review Raises Concern About Cannabis Use in Pregnancy

May 6, 2025 — A systematic evidence review finds that consuming cannabis while pregnant appears to increase the odds of preterm birth, low birth weight and infant ...

Certain Traits in Romantic Partners Can Amplify the Impact of a Person's Genetic Risk for Alcohol Problems

May 6, 2025 — Research led by VCU and Rutgers University provides new insights into how the people we love affect our ...

Data Collection Changes Key to Understanding Maternal Mortality Trends in the US, New Study Shows

Apr. 28, 2025 — A new study offers fresh insight into trends in maternal mortality in the United States. For the first time, the study disentangles genuine changes in health outcomes from shifts caused by how deaths ...

Physical and Psychological Symptoms of Ketamine Abuse Revealed in Research

Apr. 28, 2025 — Ketamine addiction is linked to high levels of physical health problems and psychological consequences, with nearly half of those affected not seeking support or treatment, new research has ...

Smoke from US Wildfires, Prescribed Burns Caused Premature Deaths, Billions in Health Damages

Apr. 8, 2025 — Researchers estimated that smoke from wildfires and prescribed burns caused $200 billion in health damages in 2017, and that these were associated with 20,000 premature deaths. Senior citizens were ...

An Immune Cell May Explain How Maternal Inflammation Causes Neurodevelopmental Disorder

Apr. 1, 2025 — A research group has uncovered a potential mechanism linking maternal inflammation to delayed neurodevelopment in infants. The research suggests the role of CD11c-positive microglia -- immune cells ...

Adulting Is Hard on the Heart: Teen to Young Adulthood Is a Critical Time to Address Risk

Mar. 26, 2025 — Many youth have heart disease risk factors by their late teens, and preventing or addressing these risks early may reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in the future, according to a ...

Cannabis Users Face Substantially Higher Risk of Heart Attack

Mar. 18, 2025 — Marijuana is now legal in many places, but is it safe? Two new studies add to mounting evidence that people who use cannabis are more likely to suffer a heart attack than people who do not use the ...

Feeling Is Believing: Bionic Hand 'Knows' What It's Touching, Grasps Like a Human

Mar. 5, 2025 — Engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging ...

Compound Harnesses Cannabis' Pain-Relieving Properties Without Side Effects

Mar. 5, 2025 — Researchers have developed a compound that relieves pain in mice but doesn't affect the brain, thereby avoiding mind-altering side effects and abuse potential. The custom-designed molecule, ...

Strong Link Between Western Diet During Pregnancy and ADHD

Mar. 3, 2025 — New research reveals that a mother's diet during pregnancy -- characterized by a Western dietary pattern high in fat and sugar and low in fresh ingredients -- may increase the risk of ...

Screening and Treating Maternal Psychological Health Key to Improving Cardiovascular Health

Feb. 25, 2025 — Identifying and treating risk factors for depression, anxiety and other psychological health conditions during pregnancy and postpartum may improve short- and long-term health outcomes for both ...

New Research Shows Neonatal HSV Infections May Lead to Long-Term Cognitive Impairment

Feb. 19, 2025 — Very early exposure to even a very small dose of herpes simplex virus (HSV) in infant mice can lead to cognitive decline later in life, according to new findings. This is significant because of ...

Biohybrid Hand Gestures With Human Muscles

Feb. 12, 2025 — A biohybrid hand which can move objects and do a scissor gesture has been created. The researchers used thin strings of lab-grown muscle tissue bundled into sushilike rolls to give the fingers enough ...

Second-Hand Smoke Exposure During Childhood Leaves Its Mark on Children's DNA

Feb. 11, 2025 — Children exposed to second-hand smoke at home are more likely to show certain changes in the epigenome, which can alter the way genes are expressed. These epigenetic changes could influence the ...

Detection of Hazardous Chemicals in Human Placenta With Unprecedented Speed and Precision

Feb. 10, 2025 — Scientists have demonstrated a new method for detecting the presence of dangerous chemicals from tobacco smoke in human placenta with unprecedented speed and ...

Researchers Achieve Total Synthesis of Ibogaine

Feb. 6, 2025 — Researchers have achieved total chemical synthesis of the psychoactive compound ibogaine and its analogs from pyridine. The discovery will make it easier to explore the therapeutic possibilities of ...

Maternal Stress During Pregnancy Could Leave Traces in the Placenta That Could Affect the Baby's Development

Feb. 4, 2025 — Maternal stress could leave epigenetic imprints on genes in the placenta associated with cortisol -- a necessary hormone for fetal development -- and this would affect the baby's development ...

Understanding the Increase in Stillbirth Rates in Germany Amid European Declines

Feb. 3, 2025 — The stillbirth rate in Europe has been steadily improving over the last few decades, but there are some exceptions. In Germany and Belgium, rates have significantly increased since 2010, while other ...

Vitamin D Matters During First Trimester

Feb. 3, 2025 — Maternal vitamin D levels in the first trimester were related to both prenatal growth and pregnancy outcomes, according to a new study. Low vitamin D levels during the first trimester of pregnancy ...

Mothers of Twins Face a Higher Risk of Heart Disease in the Year After Birth

Feb. 3, 2025 — The risk of being admitted to the hospital with heart disease is twice as high the year after birth for mothers of twins compared to singleton births, according to new research. The risk is even ...

Heart Disease Remains Leading Cause of Death as Key Health Risk Factors Continue to Rise

Jan. 27, 2025 — Heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the ...