Health A-Z

Environmental toxins could make you look older than your years

pollution

Researchers have said that the amount of exposure to harmful substances, such as benzene and cigarette smoke, in the environment is the reason behind some 75-year-olds being downright spry while others barely being able to get around.

Norman Sharpless from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, said the rate of physiologic, or molecular, aging differs between individuals in part because of exposure to ‘gerontogens’, i.e., environmental factors that affect aging.

Sharpless said they believe just as an understanding of carcinogens has informed cancer biology, so will an understanding of gerontogens benefit the study of aging and by identifying and avoiding gerontogens, they will be able to influence aging and life expectancy at a public health level.

In the future, blood tests evaluating biomarkers of molecular age might be used to understand differences amongst individuals in aging rates. Those tests might measure key pathways involved in the process of cellular senescence or chemical modifications to DNA .

From a public health perspective, cigarette smoke is likely the most important gerontogen, Sharpless said. Cigarettes are linked with cancers but also with atherosclerosis, pulmonary fibrosis, and other diseases associated with age.

UV radiation from the sun makes us older too, and Sharpless and his colleagues recently showed that chemotherapy treatment is also a strong gerontogen. With the aid of a mouse model that they developed, his team is prepared to study these gerontogens and others in much greater detail.

The researchers call for a concerted research effort to understand the clinical uses for molecular tests of aging as well as the epidemiology of accelerated aging.

The research has been published in the Cell Press journal Trends.

source: zee news

Study: Obesity and Overweight Rates Climbing Worldwide

obese

A new study published in a British medical journal says obesity rates for both adults and children are climbing worldwide, with the greatest gain in weight in developing countries.

According to the report, the number of people carrying extra kilos climbed from 857 million globally in 1980 to more than 2 billion last year. Researchers report 62 percent of the world’s obese individuals live in developing countries.

The findings come from an analysis of data gathered from 188 countries published in the British medical journal The Lancet.

Investigators discovered the rates of overweight and obesity climbed 28 percent over the past 33 years with the biggest increase in children. Forty-seven percent of all youngsters and adolescents worldwide are now considered overweight or obese.

In developed countries, men have higher rates of obesity than women, although there’s evidence that the pace of weight gain in the United States and other Western nations has begun to slow over the past eight years.

“Nowadays, food is prepared for us. Remember, in the past, it used to take some time to cook a dish,” said Ali Mokdad, who teaches health metrics and evaluation at the University of Washington and co-authored the study. “Now a seven- or 10-year-old child could pop something in a microwave. It’s safe and readily available,” he said.

The authors found some of the highest rates of obesity in China, India, Russia, Egypt, Pakistan and Indonesia. Places with the highest percentage of overweight people include the island nation of Tonga, where 50 percent of the population has a weight problem, along with Libya, Qatar, Micronesia and Samoa, where more than 50 percent of women carry excess weight.

The health care costs of obesity, particularly to developing countries, are enormous, according to Mokdad.

“It has a toll on our disability, our diseases. And with an aging population living longer, no country in the world can afford to spend all its money on treatment. We should find a balance between treatment and prevention,” he said.

Without targeted interventions, obesity control programs and the sustained efforts of national governments, experts say it is unlikely countries will meet the United Nations’ goal of halting the rise in obesity rates by 2025.

Source: voa news

Could melatonin help strength bone density?

elatonin help strength bone density

New insight into the relationship between circadian rhythms and bone degeneration could mean that hope for osteoporosis prevention may lie in an unlikely source: melatonin.

A study led by Faleh Tamimi, a professor at McGill’s School of Dentistry, found that supplemental doses of the naturally occurring hormone increased bone strength in elderly rats.
Well known to regulate circadian rhythms, melatonin may inhibit the activity of osteoclasts, nocturnal bone cells that spur the breakdown process.

“As we age, we sleep less well, which means that the osteoclasts are more active,” said Tamimi. “This tends to speed up the process of bone breakdown.”

In the study, 20 male rats that were 22 months old were given melatonin supplements diluted in their drinking water.

After 10 weeks – equivalent to approximately six human years — bone density and bone strength tests revealed increased volume and density in the test group and little difference in the control group.
Despite positive results, Tamimi said more testing is necessary to determine whether supplemental doses of the sleep hormone are preventing bone breakdown or reversing it.

“Until there is more research as well as clinical trials to determine how exactly the melatonin is working, we can’t recommend that people with osteoporosis go ahead and simply take melatonin supplements,” said Tamimi.

Melatonin is produced by the endocrine gland in the brain. Upon passage to receptor cells, it provokes sleep by lowering the body temperature. Considered a natural sleep aid, melatonin is available over-the-counter in North America, by means of prescription in several European countries and not at all in others.

Tamimi said she has applied for more funding to pursue the research.

Source: ctv news

Almond Milk

Almond Milk

Vegetable milk – healthy alternative to animal milk

Plant milks are becoming more prevalent in today’s diet, not just for people who are only using raw or vegan food, but for all the others who want a healthier alternative for normal milk.

Alternative milk is made from a variety of nuts, seeds and grains: almonds, hazelnuts, cashew nut, hemp, oats, coconut, etc.. The process is simple and almost the same for all of them.

Ingredients for almond milk:

– 0.2 pounds of almonds (not roasted and salt-free)
– optional sweetener (honey, maple syrup, agave syrup or 4-5 date palms)
– 3 pounds of water

*Almonds should stay in water at least 6 hours or overnight to soften, just enough to relieve their enzyme inhibitors to make them more easily digestible .

*Water should be changed several times to be fresh and that water should not be consumed.

Almond Milk 2

*After that peel the almonds (this takes about 30 minutes , so plan accordingly if you want the drink to be ready at a certain time) .

*Place the peeled almonds along with sweetener of your choice in blender and add 10 oz of water . Blend until you get creamy

mass.

*Then add the rest of the water and blend it a few minutes … and the milk is ready – enjoy !

Almond milk can be refrigerated in a glass bottle or jar , approximately 3 days .

* Enough for 6-8 cups

Source: secretly healthy

To Age Well, Walk

To Age Well, Walk

Regular exercise, including walking, significantly reduces the chance that a frail older person will become physically disabled, according to one of the largest and longest-running studies of its kind to date.

The results, published on Tuesday in the journal JAMA, reinforce the necessity of frequent physical activity for our aging parents, grandparents and, of course, ourselves.

While everyone knows that exercise is a good idea, whatever your age, the hard, scientific evidence about its benefits in the old and infirm has been surprisingly limited.

“For the first time, we have directly shown that exercise can effectively lessen or prevent the development of physical disability in a population of extremely vulnerable elderly people,” said Dr. Marco Pahor, the director of the Institute on Aging at the University of Florida in Gainesville and the lead author of the study.

Countless epidemiological studies have found a strong correlation between physical activity in advanced age and a longer, healthier life. But such studies can’t prove that exercise improves older people’s health, only that healthy older people exercise.

Other small-scale, randomized experiments have persuasively established a causal link between exercise and healthy aging. But the scope of these experiments has generally been narrow, showing, for instance, that older people can improve their muscle strength with weight training or their endurance capacity with walking.

So, for this latest study, the Lifestyle Interventions and Independence for Elders, or LIFE, trial, scientists at eight universities and research centers around the country began recruiting volunteers in 2010, using an unusual set of selection criteria. Unlike many exercise studies, which tend to be filled with people in relatively robust health who can easily exercise, this trial used volunteers who were sedentary and infirm, and on the cusp of frailty.

Ultimately, they recruited 1,635 sedentary men and women aged 70 to 89 who scored below a nine on a 12-point scale of physical functioning often used to assess older people. Almost half scored an eight or lower, but all were able to walk on their own for 400 meters, or a quarter-mile, the researchers’ cutoff point for being physically disabled.

Then the men and women were randomly assigned to either an exercise or an education group.

Those in the education assignment were asked to visit the research center once a month or so to learn about nutrition, health care and other topics related to aging.

The exercise group received information about aging but also started a program of walking and light, lower-body weight training with ankle weights, going to the research center twice a week for supervised group walks on a track, with the walks growing progressively longer. They were also asked to complete three or four more exercise sessions at home, aiming for a total of 150 minutes of walking and about three 10-minute sessions of weight-training exercises each week.

Every six months, researchers checked the physical functioning of all of the volunteers, with particular attention to whether they could still walk 400 meters by themselves.

The experiment continued for an average of 2.6 years, which is far longer than most exercise studies.

By the end of that time, the exercising volunteers were about 18 percent less likely to have experienced any episode of physical disability during the experiment. They were also about 28 percent less likely to have become persistently, possibly permanently disabled, defined as being unable to walk those 400 meters by themselves.

Most of the volunteers “tolerated the exercise program very well,” Dr. Pahor said, but the results did raise some flags. More volunteers in the exercise group wound up hospitalized during the study than did the participants in the education group, possibly because their vital signs were checked far more often, the researchers say. The exercise regimen may also have “unmasked” underlying medical conditions, Dr. Pahor said, although he does not feel that the exercise itself led to hospital stays.

A subtler concern involves the surprisingly small difference, in absolute terms, in the number of people who became disabled in the two groups. About 35 percent of those in the education group had a period of physical disability during the study. But so did 30 percent of those in the exercise group.

“At first glance, those results are underwhelming,” said Dr. Lewis Lipsitz, a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Institute for Aging Research at Hebrew SeniorLife in Boston, who was not involved with the study. “But then you have to look at the control group, which wasn’t really a control group at all.” That’s because in many cases the participants in the education group began to exercise, study data shows, although they were not asked to do so.

“It wouldn’t have been ethical” to keep them from exercise, Dr. Lipsitz continued. But if the scientists in the LIFE study “had been able to use a control group of completely sedentary older people with poor eating habits, the differences between the groups would be much more pronounced,” he said.

Over all, Dr. Lipsitz said, “it’s an important study because it focuses on an important outcome, which is the prevention of physical disability.”

In the coming months, Dr. Pahor and his colleagues plan to mine their database of results for additional followup, including a cost-benefit analysis.

The exercise intervention cost about $1,800 per participant per year, Dr. Pahor said, including reimbursement for travel to the research centers. But that figure is “considerably less” than the cost of full-time nursing care after someone becomes physically disabled, he said. He and his colleagues hope that the study prompts Medicare to begin covering the costs of group exercise programs for older people.

Dr. Pahor cautioned that the LIFE study is not meant to prompt elderly people to begin solo, unsupervised exercise. “Medical supervision is important,” he said. Talk with your doctor and try to find an exercise group, he said, adding, “The social aspect is important.”

Mildred Johnston, 82, a retired office worker in Gainesville who volunteered for the LIFE trial, has kept up weekly walks with two of the other volunteers she met during the study.

“Exercising has changed my whole aspect on what aging means,” she said. “It’s not about how much help you need from other people now. It’s more about what I can do for myself.” Besides, she said, gossiping during her group walks “really keeps you engaged with life.”

Source: new york times

When you need antibiotics – and when you don’t

When you need antibiotics

You’re sick. You’re not sure what it is, but you know you would really love for this achy feeling, stuffed up head, or painful cough to go away. So you go to the doctor — and demand drugs. If recent research is any indication, your physician will likely prescribe you an antibiotic, even if he or she knows it won’t make you better any faster.

“Research has shown that several common infections do not require antibiotics. Yet we continue to unnecessarily take them,” said Amanda Helberg, a physician assistant at Scott & White Lago Vista Clinic in Lago Vista, Texas. “This overuse of antibiotics has led to ‘superbugs,’ and now bacterial resistance is on the rise.”

A letter published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association shows doctors prescribe antibiotics for acute bronchitis approximately 70% of the time, despite decades of evidence demonstrating that these drugs don’t work against respiratory illness.

“Despite clear evidence, guidelines, quality measures and more than 15 years of educational efforts stating that the antibiotic prescribing rate should be zero … physicians continue to prescribe expensive, broad-spectrum antibiotics,” write Dr. Michael Barnett and Dr. Jeffrey Linder with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
Save yourself some money at the doctor’s office by knowing which common ailments require antibiotics, and which ones don’t:

Cold and flu
Upper respiratory infections, better known as the common cold, and influenza are caused by viruses. Antibiotics only kill bacteria.
“Antibiotics are not needed and are of no benefit” for cold and flu, said Dr. John Joseph, a family medicine physician at Scott & White Killeen Clinic in Killeen, Texas.

The best way to prevent the flu is to get vaccinated every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If you’ve already got it, talk to your doctor about taking an antiviral drug to speed your recovery.

Colds usually last seven to 10 days, Helberg said, and will go away on their own with plenty of rest and fluids. You can take over-the-counter medications to relieve some of the symptoms.

Bronchitis
As the journal letter mentions, “acute bronchitis in otherwise healthy adults does not need to be treated with antibiotics,” Joseph said. But there are exceptions. “Patients with complicating factors such as emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may receive antibiotics since these patients are more susceptible to developing secondary bacterial infections,” he said.

Ear infections
It’s probably best to let your doctor make the call on ear infections.
Ear infections can be caused by viruses or bacteria, and “the only definitive method for determining the cause of the ear infection is to puncture the eardrum and culture the fluid,” Joseph said. “In the U.S., most physicians treat with antibiotics instead of obtaining the culture.” Some doctors recommend first waiting to see if the infection clears up on its own, according to WebMD, but others worry that letting bacteria go untreated could do more damage.

Pneumonia
Pneumonia can be caused by a variety of things: bacteria, viruses and fungi, according to Mayo Clinic. Antibiotics will work if the doctor has identified the specific type of bacteria causing your infection. Antiviral medications can also be used to treat viral pneumonia.

Sinus Infection
Sinusitis is inflammation of the sinuses, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The infection can be bacterial, viral or fungal, or due to allergies. Most sinus infections are caused by viruses, Joseph said, and do not require antibiotics. Once again, there are exceptions.

Your doctor may prescribe antibiotics if the symptoms are severe and include high fever along with nasal drainage and a productive cough. Antibiotics may also be necessary if you feel better after a few days and then your symptoms return, or if the infection lasts more than a week.

Strep throat
Strep throat is a bacterial infection, and as such, antibiotics are required to fight it, Helberg said. But only a tiny portion of sore throats are actually strep throat, so make sure your doctor makes the right diagnosis based on a physical exam and lab test.

Bottom line
“Consult your doctor or physician assistant when you feel ill,” Helberg said. “Do not take leftover medication for a new infection, do not share antibiotics, and do not take antibiotics for a virus.”

Source: cnn news

Oil Pulling: Is There a Kernel of Truth?

Oil Pulling Is There a Kernel of Truth

In a short time, I’ve gone from wondering ‘what is this crazy new fad of oil pulling?’ to respecting the research going on around the world to improve oral health. As a WebMD medical editor, I read the health news every day and keep up with medical developments. When I heard about the fad of oil pulling I was intrigued. What is this ancient practice from my ancestors’ home in India that’s all over the Internet and social media as a potential cure-all?

Can there really be a medical silver bullet? Of course not. But I do believe most health practices – if they’ve stood the test of time – probably have a kernel of truth. In this case, the test of time has lasted thousands of years. But, as a doctor, I believe even that’s not enough. It also must “do no harm.” Let’s start from the beginning and I’ll share my findings.

What is oil pulling?
Oil pulling refers to swishing a vegetable oil — like sunflower oil, sesame oil, or coconut oil — in your mouth. The way you swish is important. The oil is supposed to half-fill the mouth and then be sucked back and forth through the teeth. The oil and saliva mix as you swish sideways and back and forth for about 10 minutes.

Where did oil pulling come from?
The practice goes back to the Ayurvedic health habits in ancient India, where it was believed to cure many diseases, from headaches to high blood pressure to diabetes and asthma. And, of course, it helped with oral and dental health.

This is where the kernel of truth comes in. I suspect that back in ancient India, the people who had the leisure time to swish valuable oils in their mouths and then spit them out were not struggling for existence. They were the wealthy or the honored of India. These were likely people who did not toil in the fields to bring home a little rice. But rather they took part in all the wonderful Ayurvedic therapies and rituals we now know about and practice — like yoga and meditation.

My point is that this group would have suffered less from illness than those who barely have enough food to feed their families. Was it really the oil pulling that made all the difference in their health?

Why is it in the news now?
So here we are 2014, and oil pulling is in the news, which brings me back to the kernel of truth.

One key to preventing dental cavities and gum disease is regularly getting rid of the plaque buildup on your teeth (just like they say on toothpaste commercials). Apparently, the swishing and “pulling” of the oil for a long period of time in your mouth decreases plaque and gingivitis. The study where I got my information was a small one, but it was logical. It was done at a dental school in India – where this could be an important part of daily oral health.

Today, in India, the cost of swishing cooking oil every day is much less than swishing a mouth rinse. And the poor don’t get 6-month dental checkups. In that light, oil pulling could be an important way to improve oral hygiene and worth further research.

Will I start oil pulling?
So, does oil pulling cure everything from headaches to asthma? That hasn’t been proven and probably won’t ever be. But it does seem to keep your mouth cleaner by cutting plaque. And that could be very useful information for many in today’s world.
For me, I want to learn from the Ayurvedic way of the past. But as long as I have easy access to floss and the electric toothbrush, I’m sticking with that and skipping oil pulling.

Source: web md

10 easy ways to slash sugar from your diet

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You may not be eating Oreos by the roll or guzzling cans of Coke, but that doesn’t mean sugar’s absent from your diet. You’re likely eating sugar throughout the day without even realizing it, said Amari Thomsen, RD, owner of Chicago-based nutrition consulting practice Eat Chic Chicago.

Sugar is added to foods that don’t even taste all that sweet, like breads, condiments and sauces. And it adds up: although the American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than six teaspoons of added sugar per day (or about 100 calories), most of us take in double that. (One note: we’re talking about added sugar, not the naturally occurring sugars found in dairy and fruit.) A high-sugar diet boosts your odds of tooth decay, heart disease, and diabetes, not to mention weight gain.

Slash your sugar intake now with these 10 expert tips.

Read food labels
You’ll quickly realize just how often sugar is added to foods when you look for it on ingredients lists.

“Even things that you don’t think are sweet, like tomato sauce, crackers, condiments, and salad dressings can be packed with sugar,” said Diane Sanfilippo, certified nutrition consultant and author of “The 21 Day Sugar Detox.” Ingredients are listed in order of how much exists in the product, so if sugar’s near the top, that’s a red flag.

Learn sugar’s aliases
When you read food labels, you’ll need to look for more than just the word “sugar.” Sugar hides under several sneaky names, including high fructose corn syrup, dried cane syrup, invert sugar, molasses, sucrose (or any word ending in “-ose”), brown rice syrup, honey, and maple syrup.

These can be listed separately on ingredients lists, so many foods, even seemingly healthy ones like yogurt and cereal, may contain three or four different types of sweetener. If several sugars appear on the label, it’s an indication that the food is less healthy than you may think.

You may not be eating Oreos by the roll or guzzling cans of Coke, but that doesn’t mean sugar’s absent from your diet. You’re likely eating sugar throughout the day without even realizing it, said Amari Thomsen, RD, owner of Chicago-based nutrition consulting practice Eat Chic Chicago.

Sugar is added to foods that don’t even taste all that sweet, like breads, condiments and sauces. And it adds up: although the American Heart Association recommends women consume no more than six teaspoons of added sugar per day (or about 100 calories), most of us take in double that. (One note: we’re talking about added sugar, not the naturally occurring sugars found in dairy and fruit.) A high-sugar diet boosts your odds of tooth decay, heart disease, and diabetes, not to mention weight gain.

Slash your sugar intake now with these 10 expert tips.

Read food labels

You’ll quickly realize just how often sugar is added to foods when you look for it on ingredients lists.

“Even things that you don’t think are sweet, like tomato sauce, crackers, condiments, and salad dressings can be packed with sugar,” said Diane Sanfilippo, certified nutrition consultant and author of “The 21 Day Sugar Detox.” Ingredients are listed in order of how much exists in the product, so if sugar’s near the top, that’s a red flag.

Learn sugar’s aliases
When you read food labels, you’ll need to look for more than just the word “sugar.” Sugar hides under several sneaky names, including high fructose corn syrup, dried cane syrup, invert sugar, molasses, sucrose (or any word ending in “-ose”), brown rice syrup, honey, and maple syrup.

These can be listed separately on ingredients lists, so many foods, even seemingly healthy ones like yogurt and cereal, may contain three or four different types of sweetener. If several sugars appear on the label, it’s an indication that the food is less healthy than you may think.

Buy unsweetened

Once you know where sugar hides, you can start making changes. One strategy: buy foods labeled “no added sugar” or “unsweetened.” You’ll find unsweetened versions of these common foods in most grocery stories: non-dairy milk like almond and soy, nut butters (look for those made with only nuts and salt), applesauce, oatmeal, and canned fruit (they should be packed in juice—not syrup).

Don’t go cold turkey
Going cold turkey on sugar isn’t realistic for most people. Thomsen suggested cutting back slowly. If you normally put two packets of sugar in your coffee, for instance, try one for a week, then half, and finally add only a splash of milk. For your yogurt, mix half a serving of sweetened yogurt with half a serving of plain, and eventually move on to adding natural sweetness with fresh fruit.

Think protein and fat
Unhealthy carbs loaded with sugar can cause blood sugar to rise rapidly (and dive just as quickly, leaving you hungry again). To minimize this rapid rise and fall, pair protein, healthy fats, and fiber with your meal, all of which can slow down the release of blood sugar in your body and keep you full for longer. (At breakfast, that means adding almonds to your usual oatmeal or pairing eggs with your morning toast, and for your midday snack, a slice of turkey breast or cheese along with your apple, suggests Thomsen.) Fats are a key player because they help keep you fuller for longer, thus helping to decrease your desire for sugar, added Sanfilippo. Focus on fats like avocados, nuts, seeds, and heart-healthy oils like olive oil, walnut oil, and coconut oil.

Never go fake
When you’re reducing your sugar intake, you may be tempted to switch to artificial sugars for your sweet fix. But resist reaching for the diet soda, sugar-free candy, and packets of fake sugar in your latte.

“These can mess up your taste for sweet,” Sanfilippo said. “When you eat something sweet, your body expects calories and nutrition, but artificial sugars don’t give your body those things.” That may be why fake sugars are associated with weight gain—not loss, according to a 2010 review in the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine.

Add more flavor
Sanfilippo loves using vanilla bean and vanilla extract, spices, and citrus zests to add sweetness to foods without having to use sugar—and for zero calories. Order an unsweetened latte and add flavor with cocoa or vanilla powder. Skip the flavored oatmeal and add a sweet kick with cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. One bonus for sprinkling on the cinnamon: according to a meta-analysis in the Journal of Medicinal Food, the spice has been shown to naturally regulate blood sugar, which helps control your appetite.

Don’t drink it
Avoiding soda is a good idea, but that’s not the only sugar-packed drink out there. Even drinks that are considered healthy can contain more of the sweet stuff than you’re supposed to have in an entire day. Case in point: “enhanced” waters (eight teaspoons per bottle), bottled iced teas (more than nine teaspoons per bottle), energy drinks (almost seven teaspoons per can), bottled coffee drinks (eight teaspoons per bottle), and store-bought smoothies (more than a dozen teaspoons—for a small).

Enjoy dessert
You can still indulge in an occasional sweet treat after you resolve to slash sugar. The idea is to avoid wasting your daily sugar quota on non-dessert foods like cereals, ketchup, and bread. To avoid overdoing it, set specific rules about when you may enjoy dessert: only after dinner on the weekends or at restaurants as a special treat, Thomsen suggested.

Stick with it!
At first, cutting down on sugar can feel like an impossible task. Eventually, though, your taste buds will adjust. Super-sweet foods like ice cream and candy will start to taste too sweet. When you could have a whole slice of cake before, now a couple bites will be enough. You’ll notice the natural sweetness in fruits and vegetables—and yep, they’ll taste better, too.

Source: fox news

Super-hot curries could help you live longer

chicken

A new study suggests that super-hot curries could help you live longer.

The hot tip comes after scientists in the US ran tests on mice.

They found stopping pain signals reaching the brain increased the chance of them living longer, the Daily Star reported.

University of California’s Andrew Dillon said that blocking the pain pathway could be very useful, not only for improving lifespan but for treating diabetes and obesity .

Boffins also believed that it could halt the ageing process.

Source: Zee news

E-cigarettes may have unknown health risks: Study

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Despite our growing knowledge that smoking tobacco is bad for us more than 40 million Americans are cigarette smokers. Smoking cigarettes is known to cause damage to every organ in your body, and smoking-related illnesses are responsible for one out of every five deaths in the U.S. But nearly 70 percent of smokers report they want to quit, and a little more than 42 percent say they’ve tried to quit during the past year

In 2009 there was a 10 percent decrease in cigarette sales in the U.S., and while that directly followed an increase in the federal cigarette tax, it’s not only price that’s changing the habits of American smokers. Electronic cigarettes (known also as e-cigarettes) have also contributed.

Global sales of smokeless tobacco products, including smokeless inhalers, has grown to nearly $3 billion — and continues to grow. In an attempt to quit the tobacco habit as many as one-fifth of smokers have tried e-cigarettes [source: Ross].

E-cigarettes were first developed in China and were introduced to the U.S. market in 2007. Many are similar enough in appearance to be mistaken for regular tobacco cigarettes. But one look inside and you’ll see the main difference: This is a tobacco-free product. E-cigs are actually vaporizers; instead of burning tobacco, the mechanism heats up a liquid.

The liquid turns into vapor, which is then inhaled, or “vaped.” While some argue that vapor offers health advantages over traditional cigarette smoke, regulatory agencies and some health experts aren’t so sure that’s true. Before you consider taking up the e-cigarette habit, read on to get the facts.

Source: how stuff works