Smoking linked to teen alcohol,drug use

Teenagers who smoke are five times more likely to drink and 13 times more likely to use marijuana than those who are not smokers,a study suggests. The Report by Columbia Universitys National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse presented further evidence linking youth smoking to other substance abuse and spotlighted research on how nicotine affects the adolescent brain. It said that smokers aged 12 to 17 are more likely to drink alcohol than non-smokers. Those who become regular smokers by age 12 are more than three times more likely to report binge drinking than those who never smoked.

Iron deficiency could lead to chronic cough
A study,presented at the scientific meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians in Chicago,suggests that iron deficiency may help explain why some otherwise healthy,non-smoking women had persistent coughs. It was found that a simple iron supplement could clear up the cough. The researchers studied 16 women with chronic cough who were found to have normal lung function,with no signs of asthma or other respiratory disease and no evidence of acid stomach reflux. All had iron deficiencies. Their vocal chords were very sensitive,making them cough and choke easily. These women were given iron supplements and after two months it was found that coughing and signs of inflammation in the mouth or the vocal chords were improved or completely resolved.

Whole grain cereals cut heart failure risk
Eating whole grain cereals may significantly reduce the risk of heart failure,a US study,published in the Archives of Internal Medicine,suggests. The researchers studied the breakfast habits of more than 21,000 male doctors with an average age of 53.7 years for nearly 20 years. Over the course of the study,1,018 of the men had heart failure. These were the men who ate no cereal. The ones who ate at least one bowl of cereal had the lowest incidence of heart failure.