The country also has a full ban on e-cigarettes and vaping for all ages read on >
Maldives Becomes First Nation to Ban Smoking for an Entire Generation
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Maldives Becomes First Nation to Ban Smoking for an Entire Generation
The Maldives has become the first country in the world to ban tobacco use for an entire generation, after a new law took effect Saturday. Under the rule, anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 2007, is permanently banned from buying, using or being sold cigarettes or any other tobacco products in the country, the Maldives Health Ministry announced. That means that anyone who’s 18 or younger today will never be able to legally smoke in the nation, even as they age. The law is meant to “protect public health and promote a tobacco-free generation,” the ministry explained. The ban applies to both residents and tourists visiting the Maldives, a nation of nearly 1,200 small coral islands within the Indian Ocean. Retailers must verify a person’s age before selling tobacco and selling to someone who is under the age cutoff can lead to a 50,000 rufiyaa (about $3,200) fine, CBS News reported. What’s more, the country already has a full ban on the import, sale and use of e-cigarettes and vaping devices for people of all ages. Anyone caught using a vape can be fined 5,000 rufiyaa (about $320). Only one other country — New Zealand — has attempted a similar generational smoking ban. It was repealed in 2023. The United Kingdom also considered a version of the law, according to CBS News. More information… read on > read on >
The Way A Man Loses Weight Matters To His Fertility, Review Says
Losing weight is considered one way to improve male fertility, but how guys drop pounds also matters, a new evidence review says. Men who lost weight through diet and exercise did wind up with better sperm quality, even with modest weight loss, researchers recently reported in the journal Human Reproduction Update. However, losing weight through bariatric surgery did not cause any notable positive changes to sperm quality, even though men lost substantial amounts of weight quickly, researchers found. “Lifestyle changes are associated with modest improvements in sperm motility and morphology, even though the amount of weight lost was much smaller than surgical options,” lead researcher Andrew Peel of the University of Adelaide’s Freemasons Center for Men’s Health and Wellbeing in Australia said in a news release. “This indicates that for men with obesity, whilst obesity has detrimental effects, reproductive success may be more dependent on optimizing nutrition and exercise rather than substantial weight loss alone,” he said. For the new study, researchers analyzed data from 32 previous studies involving men with obesity 18 to 50 years old. The men were trying to lose weight through surgery, weight-loss medications, or diet and exercise programs. “Previous research has shown that infertility rates are approximately 50% higher in men with obesity compared to men of a normal weight, with the condition associated with reductions in basic sperm parameters… read on > read on >
The Way A Man Loses Weight Matters To His Fertility, Review Says
Losing weight is considered one way to improve male fertility, but how guys drop pounds also matters, a new evidence review says. Men who lost weight through diet and exercise did wind up with better sperm quality, even with modest weight loss, researchers recently reported in the journal Human Reproduction Update. However, losing weight through bariatric surgery did not cause any notable positive changes to sperm quality, even though men lost substantial amounts of weight quickly, researchers found. “Lifestyle changes are associated with modest improvements in sperm motility and morphology, even though the amount of weight lost was much smaller than surgical options,” lead researcher Andrew Peel of the University of Adelaide’s Freemasons Center for Men’s Health and Wellbeing in Australia said in a news release. “This indicates that for men with obesity, whilst obesity has detrimental effects, reproductive success may be more dependent on optimizing nutrition and exercise rather than substantial weight loss alone,” he said. For the new study, researchers analyzed data from 32 previous studies involving men with obesity 18 to 50 years old. The men were trying to lose weight through surgery, weight-loss medications, or diet and exercise programs. “Previous research has shown that infertility rates are approximately 50% higher in men with obesity compared to men of a normal weight, with the condition associated with reductions in basic sperm parameters… read on > read on >
Top FDA Drug Chief Resigns While Under Investigation
Dr. George Tidmarsh says he was targeted after questioning a new fast-track drug approval program read on >
Top FDA Drug Chief Resigns While Under Investigation
The head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) drug division has resigned while under internal investigation, saying he was pushed out after raising concerns about how the agency planned to fast-track some new drugs. Dr. George Tidmarsh, who joined the FDA in July, stepped down Sunday, The New York Times reported. His resignation came just days after he was placed on administrative leave while federal officials investigated accusations connected to a lawsuit involving a drug company and one of its investors. The FDA confirmed that Tidmarsh’s resignation was accepted, saying the leave was issued after “serious concerns” were reported to a federal court and the inspector general. Tidmarsh, however, said he believes the investigation began after he questioned the legality of a new program that would approve some drugs much faster than usual. He said the plan could allow political priorities to outweigh actual science. “The effort was going to basically change the entire paradigm of the legal underpinnings of drug approvals that have for decades supported the actions on the safety and effectiveness of drugs,” Tidmarsh told The Times. “There was insufficient legal support for what they wanted to do, and so I didn’t agree,” he added. A lawsuit filed last week by Kevin Tang, a major investor in Aurinia Pharmaceuticals, accused Tidmarsh of acting vengefully against its board chairman. The suit… read on > read on >
Meat Allergy Caused By Tick Bites Becoming More Common In US, Experts Say
A once-rare meat allergy caused by tick bites is dramatically increasing across the United States, researchers said. There’s been a 100-fold increase in positive test results for the allergy, called alpha-gal syndrome, between 2013 and 2024, researchers reported last week at the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meeting in Phoenix. “Alpha-gal syndrome is unlike any other food allergy we treat,” researcher Dr. Vinay Jahagirdar, a fellow with the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Gastroenterology Fellowship Training Program and Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, said in a news release. “Symptoms often appear several hours after a person eats red meat, making it difficult to connect a meal with an allergic reaction,” Jahagirdar said. Many patients are misdiagnosed or go years without answers.” AGS occurs when a tick bite causes a person’s immune system to develop an allergic reaction to a sugar molecule found in beef, pork or lamb called galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, or alpha-gal, researchers said. Symptoms from an alpha-gal allergic reaction can include hives, swelling, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea or even life-threatening anaphylactic shock, researchers said. The syndrome typically is linked to bites from the lone star tick, researchers said. These ticks have expanded their range north and west in recent years, aided by warmer winters and growing deer populations. “Alpha-gal syndrome has gone from a medical curiosity to a major public health issue… read on > read on >
Meat Allergy Caused By Tick Bites Becoming More Common In US, Experts Say
A once-rare meat allergy caused by tick bites is dramatically increasing across the United States, researchers said. There’s been a 100-fold increase in positive test results for the allergy, called alpha-gal syndrome, between 2013 and 2024, researchers reported last week at the American College of Gastroenterology’s annual meeting in Phoenix. “Alpha-gal syndrome is unlike any other food allergy we treat,” researcher Dr. Vinay Jahagirdar, a fellow with the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Gastroenterology Fellowship Training Program and Stravitz-Sanyal Institute for Liver Disease and Metabolic Health, said in a news release. “Symptoms often appear several hours after a person eats red meat, making it difficult to connect a meal with an allergic reaction,” Jahagirdar said. Many patients are misdiagnosed or go years without answers.” AGS occurs when a tick bite causes a person’s immune system to develop an allergic reaction to a sugar molecule found in beef, pork or lamb called galactose-alpha-1,3-galactose, or alpha-gal, researchers said. Symptoms from an alpha-gal allergic reaction can include hives, swelling, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea or even life-threatening anaphylactic shock, researchers said. The syndrome typically is linked to bites from the lone star tick, researchers said. These ticks have expanded their range north and west in recent years, aided by warmer winters and growing deer populations. “Alpha-gal syndrome has gone from a medical curiosity to a major public health issue… read on > read on >
Tobacco Still Top Cancer Killer, Despite Falling Smoking Rates
Tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of cancer death in the U.S., despite a dramatic decline in smoking, a new American Cancer Society report says. More than 80% of lung cancer deaths are linked to tobacco, according to data from the inaugural release of the American Heart Association’s U.S. Tobacco Atlas. That’s even though cigarette smoking among adults cratered from 42% in 1965 to just 11% in 2023, researchers said. Quit rates also have skyrocketed, with a record 62% of smokers trying to drop the habit in 2022, the reports says. However, smokers are shunning the low-dose CT chest scans that are recommended for lung cancer screening, results show. Only 18% of eligible current or former smokers were up to date with screening in 2022 — such screening can catch cancers early and improve survival odds. “The U.S. Tobacco Atlas is a powerful tool showcasing not only the toll that tobacco has taken on the U.S., but also the immense progress public health gains have made over the past decades,” lead report editor Nigar Nargis, senior scientific director of tobacco control research at the American Cancer Society, said in a news release. “Since the landmark 1964 U.S. Surgeon General’s report on tobacco, millions of lives have been saved by tobacco control, but the scale of the epidemic demands our continued attention and support,” Nargis added. The… read on > read on >
Tobacco Still Top Cancer Killer, Despite Falling Smoking Rates
Tobacco remains the leading preventable cause of cancer death in the U.S., despite a dramatic decline in smoking, a new American Cancer Society report says. More than 80% of lung cancer deaths are linked to tobacco, according to data from the inaugural release of the American Heart Association’s U.S. Tobacco Atlas. That’s even though cigarette smoking among adults cratered from 42% in 1965 to just 11% in 2023, researchers said. Quit rates also have skyrocketed, with a record 62% of smokers trying to drop the habit in 2022, the reports says. However, smokers are shunning the low-dose CT chest scans that are recommended for lung cancer screening, results show. Only 18% of eligible current or former smokers were up to date with screening in 2022 — such screening can catch cancers early and improve survival odds. “The U.S. Tobacco Atlas is a powerful tool showcasing not only the toll that tobacco has taken on the U.S., but also the immense progress public health gains have made over the past decades,” lead report editor Nigar Nargis, senior scientific director of tobacco control research at the American Cancer Society, said in a news release. “Since the landmark 1964 U.S. Surgeon General’s report on tobacco, millions of lives have been saved by tobacco control, but the scale of the epidemic demands our continued attention and support,” Nargis added. The… read on > read on >