meIt is thought that two people in three smokers want to break their deadly habit, and for good reason – they believe that one of their smokers smoke prematurely due to smoking. Worldwide, more than 6 million people are killed each year.
However, the abandonment is known to be difficult. Smoking tobacco is an addiction that the Royal College of Physicians compared in the United Kingdom to heroin and cocaine addiction.
But that does not mean that we can not do anything. Evidence suggests that an increase in tobacco taxation is the most effective way to reduce tobacco use. These taxes, recommended by the World Health Organization and the World Bank, increase the price of tobacco products in stores and reduce their affordability – this is a situation that encourages smokers to quit, and discourage others from starting first.
Taxation is particularly important because people with lower incomes are less responsive to many other tobacco campaigns and regulations designed to encourage abandonment. But such smokers, including many young people, are most sensitive to price increases.
If self-sufficiency was not enough, it is an additional challenge to get rid of the habit that tobacco companies simply do not want the smokers to leave. They do not want to lose their customers and the considerable profits they provide.
It is therefore not surprising that the tobacco industry has a well-documented history of undermining regulations aimed at controlling the use and sale of tobacco for the benefit of public health. For example, the largest tobacco companies continue to market cigarettes to children around the world, even though they have not done so, and often in places where advertising is prohibited. In the United Kingdom, where advertising of tobacco products is prohibited, Philip Morris International has effectively escaped the ban with its recent "cessation of smoking" campaign, which in fact continues to promote its tobacco products.
Paying a great price
While many of these tactics are obvious, some are more difficult to detect. Our most recent research highlights the second – how the tobacco industry shapes price tactics in the United Kingdom, which reduces the predicted impact of public health on increasing tobacco taxes.
Tobacco companies offer a range of cheaper products that help people smoke (and attract new consumers to start), while offering a whole range of products with higher prices so they can actually get on to those who can not or are not ready to leave.
When tobacco taxes increase, they play with their prices to undermine the effects of an increase in smoking taxes. Taking into account tax increases, in particular the cheapest brands, are lagging behind and lagging behind the projected increase in tobacco prices. In this way, the increase in prices is gradually applied to their brand portfolio so that smokers can never face a sudden exit when the government increases taxes.
1/40 Raising Neanderthals helped people to fight the disease
When migrating from Africa about 70,000 years ago, people came across Neanderthals of Eurasia. While people were weak for new land diseases, breeding with resident neanderthals, designed for a more equipped immune system
PA
2/40 Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people who are in good health, notes the study
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that many elderly people receive aspirin daily with little or no success
Getty
3/40 Vaping could lead to cancer, notes the American study
A study by the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center has shown that carcinogenic chemicals are formaldehyde, acrolein and methylglyoxal present in the electron-cigarette
Reuters
4/40 Several children are obese and diabetic
Children with type 2 diabetes have increased by 41% since 2014, according to National Pediatric Diabetes Audit. Obesity is the leading cause
Reuters
5/40 Most childhood antidepressants are ineffective and can cause suicidal thoughts
Most antidepressants are ineffective and can be dangerous, for children and teens with high depression, experts have warned. In which is the most comprehensive comparison of the 14 most frequently prescribed antidepressants to date, researchers have found that only one brand was more effective in relieving the symptoms of depression than placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, has been an increase in risk users dealing with suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts
Getty
6/40 Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk for heart disease, study claims
Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controlled heart health and found that these minority groups are particularly likely to smokers and poorly controlled blood sugar
iStock
7/40 Breakfast cereals intended for children since 1992 contain "persistently high levels of sugar", despite the requirements of producers
A large group of pressures issued a new warning of the dangerous high sugar levels in processed cereal-based foods, especially those intended for children, and said that levels have hardly decreased in the last two and a half decades
Getty
8/40 Potholes make us fat, warns the NHS watchdog
The new guidelines of the National Institute of Health and Safety (NICE), which stipulates the treatment to be financed by the NZZ, include the lack of road repairs and the streets with the dominant position of cars contributing to the epidemic of obesity by preventing people from being public
PA
9/40 New menopause remedies women to relieve the "exhausted" hot lungs
A new treatment class for women who go through the menopause can reduce the number of depleted hot gases by as much as three-quarters in a few days, experiments have been shown.
The drug used in the trial belongs to a group called NKB antagonists (blockers) that were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but were "on unused shelf", as Professor Waljit Dhillo, professor of endocrinology and metabolism
REX
10/40 Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, they find studies
Research at Oxford University found that over one million people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from prescribed medicines and criticize the "ideological" reasons used by doctors to avoid this.
Getty
11/40 Student dies due to flu by NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A & E
The family of a teenager who died of flu has been urging people not to delay A & E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old Hanford student at Stoke-on-Trent, suffered a painful illness and died in hospital a month later.
Just giving it up
12/40 The government examines thousands of harmful vaginal network implants
The government has committed itself to examining tens of thousands of cases where women have had vaginal network implants.
Getty
13/40 Jeremy Hunt predicts "ambition without suicide" for NHS
The NHS will be invited to continue to prevent the death of patients who care as part of the "zero suicidal ambition" that begins today.
Getty
14/40 Human trials start with the treatment of cancer that introduces the immune system to kill tumors
Human trials have begun with a new anti-cancer therapy that can overcome the immune system to eradicate tumors. Treatment, similar to the vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which small amounts are injected into the solid part of the tumor.
Wikimedia Commons / Nephron
15/40 Infant health suffers from being born near fracking sites, found a great study
Mothers who live in a fracking location in a kilometer had a 25 percent greater likelihood of having a baby born at low birth weight, which increases their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues
Getty
16/40 NHS examines thousands of tests for cervical cancer disinfection after women are wrongly given
Thousands of findings on screening cervical cancer are under control when mistakes in the laboratory meant that some women were incorrectly given a clear day. Some women have already been told to contact their doctors after defining "procedural questions" at the service provided by the Pathology First Laboratory.
REX
17/40 Potential key to stop the spread of breast cancer, discovered by scientists
Most breast cancer patients do not die due to an initial tumor, but from secondary malignant plants (metastases), where cancerous cells can enter the blood and survive to attack new areas. Asparagine, a molecule called asparagus, where it was first found in large amounts, has now proven to be an essential ingredient for the development of tumor cells of these migratory properties.
Getty
18/40 Their free jobs at a record height of more than 34,000 applications
NZS is currently promoting a record number of medical and midwifery positions, as more than 34,000 sites are currently occupied in the latest data. The demand for nurses rose by 19 percent from July to September 2017 compared to the same period two years ago.
REX
19/40 A cannabis extract could provide a "new class of treatment" for psychosis
CBD has a broad opposite effect on delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active ingredient in cannabis and a substance that causes paranoia and anxiety.
Getty
20/40 More than 75,000 signatures of petitions call Richard Branson Virgin Care to manually settle the money back to the NHS
Mr Branson's company sued NZH last year after losing $ 82 million on a $ 82 million contract for the provision of child health services in Surrey, raising concerns about 'serious deficiencies' in how the contract is awarded
PA
21/40 More than 700 fewer nurses for training in England in the first year following the announcement of the NHS
The number of people admitted to the study of nursing care in England fell by 3% in 2017, while the numbers adopted in Wales and Scotland where the scholarships were retained increased by 8.4% and 8%
Getty
22/40 A study study combines tone saving to 120,000 fatalities
The article found that in the first four years of Tory-led effectiveness, there were 45,000 more deaths than would have been expected if financing remained at pre-electoral levels.
In this way, which could lead to almost 200,000 surplus deaths by the end of 2020, also with the additional resources that this year was intended for public sector services.
Reuters
23/40 Long commutations bear health risks
Traveling times may be unreasonably boring, but new research suggests that this could have a negative impact on your health and workplace performance. It seems that they also have a greater influence on mental health for longer, with those who have more than 33 percent more chance of suffering from depression
Shutterstock
24/40 You can not be fit and fat
It can not be overweight and healthy, she completed a major new study. A study of 3.5 million Britons showed that even "metabolically healthy" obese people are still more exposed to the risk of developing heart disease or stroke than in normal weight
Getty
25/40 Lack of sleep
When you feel particularly exhausted, you can definitely feel like you lack the brain capacity. Now a new study suggests that this may be because chronic deprivation of sleep can actually cause the brain to eat
Shutterstock
26/40 Exercises that offer a 45-minute start of snooze
David Lloyd Gyms have started a new health and fitness class, which is basically a bunch of people who get drunk for 45 minutes. The fitness team was encouraged to introduce the "napercise" class after a study, which showed that 86 percent of parents said they were tired. The class is therefore primarily intended for parents, but in reality there is no need to have children to participate
Getty
27/40 The "Fundamental right to health", which should be noted on Brexit, is pointed out by lawyers
Tobacco and alcohol companies could be easily acquired in court cases, such as the recent battle on regular cigarette packets, if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, said Barrister and a public health professor.
Getty
28/40 "Thousands die" because of the fear of non-existent side effects of the statin
A large new study on the adverse effects of a cholesterol lowering effect suggests that common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness do not cause the drug itself
Getty
29/40 Infants born of fathers under 25 years of age have a higher risk of autism
New research has shown that infants born to fathers under the age of 25 years or more are exposed to a higher risk of autism and other social disorders. A study by the Seavers Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers than babies, and then lag behind when they reached the teenage year.
Getty
30/40 Cycling for work "can halve the risk of cancer and heart disease"
Residents who change their car or bus for a bike could reduce the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests – but advocates warned that there is still an "urgent need" to improve road conditions for cyclists.
Cycling to work is associated with a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 percent and cardiovascular disease by 46 percent, according to a study by four million people.
Learning to work has also brought benefits to health, researchers from the University of Glasgow found, but not as much as cycling.
Getty
31/40 Playing Tetris in a hospital after a traumatic incident could prevent PTSD
Scientists conducted a survey of 71 victims of an accident when they were waiting for treatment in the accident and emergency department in one hospital. Half of the patients were asked to briefly point out the incident and then play a classic computer game, while others got a written activity to complete. Researchers at the Carolina Institute in Sweden and the University of Oxford have found that Tetris patients in the following week reported less intrusive memories, commonly known as flashbacks
Rex
32/40 According to the latest research, vaping has been supported as a more healthy nicotine, an alternative to cigarettes
After the first long-term study of its effects in ex-smokers, Vaping was strongly emphasized by health professionals.
After six months, people who shifted from real to e-cigarettes had much less toxins and cancer-causing substances than incessant smokers, scientists found
Getty
33/40 Scientists point out that a common way of cooking rice can leave traces of arsenic in food
Scientists have warned that millions of people are at risk because they cook their rice incorrectly.
Recent experiments show a common way to cook rice – simply boiling it in the container until the water is steaming. – they can discover those who eat, to the trail of poisonous arsenic, which contaminates rice, while growing as a result of industrial poisons and pesticides
Getty
34/40 A contraceptive gel that creates "reversible vasectomy" has shown that it is effective in monkeys
The injection contraceptive gel, which acts as a "reversible vasectomy", is a step closer to suffering after successful experiments on monkeys.
Vasalgel is injected into the vas deferens, a small channel between bruises and urethra. So far it has been found to prevent 100% of terms
Vasalgel
35/40 Shift work and heavy lifting can reduce the fertility of women, a study found
Women working at night or working incorrectly may experience a decline in fertility, notes a new study.
Shift and night workers had fewer eggs that could develop into healthy embryos than those who work on regular working hours, according to researchers at Harvard University
Getty
36/40 The Japanese government tells people to stop processing
The Japanese government has announced measures to limit the amount of overtime employees who can do – in an attempt to stop people who are literally engaged in death.
A fifth of the Japanese workforce is at risk of death due to an overworked work, known as karoshi, as more than 80 hours of overtime work is carried out annually, according to a government survey.
Getty
37/40 High blood pressure can protect more than 80 years before dementia
It is known that high blood pressure is a risk factor for dementia, so the results of a new study from the University of California, Irvine, are quite surprising. Researchers have found that people who developed high blood pressure at the age of 80 to 89 years are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease (the most common form of dementia) over the next three years than those of the same age with normal blood pressure.
Getty
38/40 "Development of a vaccine against universal cancer", which was requested by experts
Scientists have adopted a "very positive step" to creating a universal cancer vaccine, causing the immune system to attack tumors as if they were a virus, experts said. An international team of researchers who wrote in nature described how they took the pieces of genetic RNA cancer, put them in fine fat nanoparticles, and then injected the mixture into the bloodstream of three patients in advanced stages of the disease. The immune systems of patients responded to the production of T cells that were designed to attack cancer. It was found that the vaccine was effective in the fight against "aggressively growing" tumors in mice, according to researchers led by Professor Ugur Sahin of Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany
Rex
39/40 Research suggests that a medicine for the treatment of diabetes can be used to prevent the first signs of Parkinson's disease
Scientists in a new study suggest that the first signs of Parkinson's disease can be stopped. The UCL study is still in the research period, but the team is "excited". Today's Parkinson drugs control symptoms of the disease, but ultimately do not stop progression in the brain.
PA
40/40 Drinking alcohol can reduce the risk of diabetes
A new study suggests that drinking alcohol for three to four days a week may reduce the risk of diabetes. It has been found that wine is the most effective in reducing the risk of chemical compounds that regulate the level of sugar in the blood.
Getty
1/40 Raising Neanderthals helped people to fight the disease
When migrating from Africa about 70,000 years ago, people came across Neanderthals of Eurasia. While people were weak for new land diseases, breeding with resident neanderthals, designed for a more equipped immune system
PA
2/40 Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people who are in good health, notes the study
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed that many elderly people receive aspirin daily with little or no success
Getty
3/40 Vaping could lead to cancer, notes the American study
A study by the University of Minnesota Masonic Cancer Center has shown that carcinogenic chemicals are formaldehyde, acrolein and methylglyoxal present in the electron-cigarette
Reuters
4/40 Several children are obese and diabetic
Children with type 2 diabetes have increased by 41% since 2014, according to National Pediatric Diabetes Audit. Obesity is the leading cause
Reuters
5/40 Most childhood antidepressants are ineffective and can cause suicidal thoughts
Most antidepressants are ineffective and can be dangerous, for children and teens with high depression, experts have warned. In which is the most comprehensive comparison of the 14 most frequently prescribed antidepressants to date, researchers have found that only one brand was more effective in relieving the symptoms of depression than placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, has been an increase in risk users dealing with suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts
Getty
6/40 Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk for heart disease, study claims
Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controlled heart health and found that these minority groups are particularly likely to smokers and poorly controlled blood sugar
iStock
7/40 Breakfast cereals intended for children since 1992 contain "persistently high levels of sugar", despite the requirements of producers
A large group of pressures issued a new warning of the dangerous high sugar levels in processed cereal-based foods, especially those intended for children, and said that levels have hardly decreased in the last two and a half decades
Getty
8/40 Potholes make us fat, warns the NHS watchdog
The new guidelines of the National Institute of Health and Safety (NICE), which stipulates the treatment to be financed by the NZZ, include the lack of road repairs and the streets with the dominant position of cars contributing to the epidemic of obesity by preventing people from being public
PA
9/40 New menopause remedies women to relieve the "exhausted" hot lungs
A new treatment class for women who go through the menopause can reduce the number of depleted hot gases by as much as three-quarters in a few days, experiments have been shown.
The drug used in the trial belongs to a group called NKB antagonists (blockers) that were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but were "on unused shelf", as Professor Waljit Dhillo, professor of endocrinology and metabolism
REX
10/40 Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, they find studies
Research at Oxford University found that over one million people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from prescribed medicines and criticize the "ideological" reasons used by doctors to avoid this.
Getty
11/40 Student dies due to flu by NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A & E
The family of a teenager who died of flu has been urging people not to delay A & E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old Hanford student at Stoke-on-Trent, suffered a painful illness and died in hospital a month later.
Just giving it up
12/40 The government examines thousands of harmful vaginal network implants
The government has committed itself to examining tens of thousands of cases where women have had vaginal network implants.
Getty
13/40 Jeremy Hunt predicts "ambition without suicide" for NHS
The NHS will be invited to continue to prevent the death of patients who care as part of the "zero suicidal ambition" that begins today.
Getty
14/40 Human trials start with the treatment of cancer that introduces the immune system to kill tumors
Human trials have begun with a new anti-cancer therapy that can overcome the immune system to eradicate tumors. Treatment, similar to the vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which small amounts are injected into the solid part of the tumor.
Wikimedia Commons / Nephron
15/40 Infant health suffers from being born near fracking sites, found a great study
Mothers who live in a fracking location in a kilometer had a 25 percent greater likelihood of having a baby born at low birth weight, which increases their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues
Getty
16/40 NHS examines thousands of tests for cervical cancer disinfection after women are wrongly given
Thousands of findings on screening cervical cancer are under control when mistakes in the laboratory meant that some women were incorrectly given a clear day. Some women have already been told to contact their doctors after defining "procedural questions" at the service provided by the Pathology First Laboratory.
REX
17/40 Potential key to stop the spread of breast cancer, discovered by scientists
Most breast cancer patients do not die due to an initial tumor, but from secondary malignant plants (metastases), where cancerous cells can enter the blood and survive to attack new areas. Asparagine, a molecule called asparagus, where it was first found in large amounts, has now proven to be an essential ingredient for the development of tumor cells of these migratory properties.
Getty
18/40 Their free jobs at a record height of more than 34,000 applications
NZS is currently promoting a record number of medical and midwifery positions, as more than 34,000 sites are currently occupied in the latest data. The demand for nurses rose by 19 percent from July to September 2017 compared to the same period two years ago.
REX
19/40 A cannabis extract could provide a "new class of treatment" for psychosis
CBD has a broad opposite effect on delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active ingredient in cannabis and a substance that causes paranoia and anxiety.
Getty
20/40 More than 75,000 signatures of petitions call Richard Branson Virgin Care to manually settle the money back to the NHS
Mr Branson's company sued NZH last year after losing $ 82 million on a $ 82 million contract for the provision of child health services in Surrey, raising concerns about 'serious deficiencies' in how the contract is awarded
PA
21/40 More than 700 fewer nurses for training in England in the first year following the announcement of the NHS
The number of people admitted to the study of nursing care in England fell by 3% in 2017, while the numbers adopted in Wales and Scotland where the scholarships were retained increased by 8.4% and 8%
Getty
22/40 A study study combines tone saving to 120,000 fatalities
The article found that in the first four years of Tory-led effectiveness, there were 45,000 more deaths than would have been expected if financing remained at pre-electoral levels.
In this way, which could lead to almost 200,000 surplus deaths by the end of 2020, also with the additional resources that this year was intended for public sector services.
Reuters
23/40 Long commutations bear health risks
Traveling times may be unreasonably boring, but new research suggests that this could have a negative impact on your health and workplace performance. It seems that they also have a greater influence on mental health for longer, with those who have more than 33 percent more chance of suffering from depression
Shutterstock
24/40 You can not be fit and fat
It can not be overweight and healthy, she completed a major new study. A study of 3.5 million Britons showed that even "metabolically healthy" obese people are still more exposed to the risk of developing heart disease or stroke than in normal weight
Getty
25/40 Lack of sleep
When you feel particularly exhausted, you can definitely feel like you lack the brain capacity. Now a new study suggests that this may be because chronic deprivation of sleep can actually cause the brain to eat
Shutterstock
26/40 Exercises that offer a 45-minute start of snooze
David Lloyd Gyms have started a new health and fitness class, which is basically a bunch of people who get drunk for 45 minutes. The fitness team was encouraged to introduce the "napercise" class after a study, which showed that 86 percent of parents said they were tired. The class is therefore primarily intended for parents, but in reality there is no need to have children to participate
Getty
27/40 The "Fundamental right to health", which should be noted on Brexit, is pointed out by lawyers
Tobacco and alcohol companies could be easily acquired in court cases, such as the recent battle on regular cigarette packets, if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, said Barrister and a public health professor.
Getty
28/40 "Thousands die" because of the fear of non-existent side effects of the statin
A large new study on the adverse effects of a cholesterol lowering effect suggests that common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness do not cause the drug itself
Getty
29/40 Infants born of fathers under 25 years of age have a higher risk of autism
New research has shown that infants born to fathers under the age of 25 years or more are exposed to a higher risk of autism and other social disorders. A study by the Seavers Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers than babies, and then lag behind when they reached the teenage year.
Getty
30/40 Cycling for work "can halve the risk of cancer and heart disease"
Residents who change their car or bus for a bike could reduce the risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests – but advocates warned that there is still an "urgent need" to improve road conditions for cyclists.
Cycling to work is associated with a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 percent and cardiovascular disease by 46 percent, according to a study by four million people.
Learning to work has also brought benefits to health, researchers from the University of Glasgow found, but not as much as cycling.
Getty
31/40 Playing Tetris in a hospital after a traumatic incident could prevent PTSD
Scientists conducted a survey of 71 victims of an accident when they were waiting for treatment in the accident and emergency department in one hospital. Half of the patients were asked to briefly point out the incident and then play a classic computer game, while others got a written activity to complete. Researchers at the Carolina Institute in Sweden and the University of Oxford have found that Tetris patients in the following week reported less intrusive memories, commonly known as flashbacks
Rex
32/40 According to the latest research, vaping has been supported as a more healthy nicotine, an alternative to cigarettes
After the first long-term study of its effects in ex-smokers, Vaping was strongly emphasized by health professionals.
After six months, people who shifted from real to e-cigarettes had much less toxins and cancer-causing substances than incessant smokers, scientists found
Getty
33/40 Znanstveniki opozarjajo, da skupni način kuhanja riža lahko pusti sledove arzena v hrani
Znanstveniki so opozorili, da so milijoni ljudi izpostavljeni tveganju, ker kuhajo svoj riž nepravilno.
Nedavni poskusi kažejo skupen način kuhanja riža – ga preprosto vrejo v posodi, dokler voda ne pari. – lahko tiste, ki jo jedo, odkrijejo do sledi strupenega arzena, ki kontaminira riž, medtem ko raste kot posledica industrijskih strupov in pesticidi
Getty
34/40 Kontracepcijski gel, ki ustvarja "reverzibilno vazektomijo", je pokazal, da je učinkovit pri opicah
Injekcijski kontracepcijski gel, ki deluje kot "reverzibilna vazektomija", je korak bližje, da se mučijo po uspešnih poskusih na opicah.
Zdravilo Vasalgel injiciramo v vas deferens, majhen kanal med modricami in sečnico. Do zdaj je bilo ugotovljeno, da prepreči 100 odstotkov pojmov
Vasalgel
35/40 Shift delo in težka dviganje lahko zmanjša plodnost žensk, študija najdemo
Women who work at night or do irregular shifts may experience a decline in fertility, a new study has found.
Shift and night workers had fewer eggs capable of developing into healthy embryos than those who work regular daytime hours, according to researchers at Harvard University
Getty
36/40 Japanese government tells people to stop overworking
The Japanese government has announced measures to limit the amount of overtime employees can do – in an attempt to stop people literally working themselves to death.
A fifth of Japan’s workforce are at risk of death by overwork, known as karoshi, as they work more than 80 hours of overtime each month, according to a government survey.
Getty
37/40 High blood pressure may protect over 80s from dementia
It is well known that high blood pressure is a risk factor for dementia, so the results of a new study from the University of California, Irvine, are quite surprising. The researchers found that people who developed high blood pressure between the ages of 80-89 are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease (the most common form of dementia) over the next three years than people of the same age with normal blood pressure.
Getty
38/40 'Universal cancer vaccine’ breakthrough claimed by experts
Scientists have taken a “very positive step” towards creating a universal vaccine against cancer that makes the body’s immune system attack tumours as if they were a virus, experts have said. Writing in Nature, an international team of researchers described how they had taken pieces of cancer’s genetic RNA code, put them into tiny nanoparticles of fat and then injected the mixture into the bloodstreams of three patients in the advanced stages of the disease. The patients' immune systems responded by producing "killer" T-cells designed to attack cancer. The vaccine was also found to be effective in fighting “aggressively growing” tumours in mice, according to researchers, who were led by Professor Ugur Sahin from Johannes Gutenberg University in Germany
Rex
39/40 Research shows that diabetes drug can be used to stop first signs of Parkinson’s
Scientists in a new study show that the first signs of Parkinson’s can be stopped. The UCL study is still in its research period but the team are ‘excited’. Today’s Parkinson’s drugs manage the symptoms of the disease but ultimately do not stop its progression in the brain.
PA
40/40 Drinking alcohol could reduce risk of diabetes
A new study shows that drinking alcohol three to four days a week could reduce the risk of diabetes. Wine was found to be most effective in reducing the risk due to the chemical compounds that balance blood sugar levels.
Getty
Further tactics adopted by the industry include shrinkflation – cutting the number of cigarettes in a pack to disguise price rises and prevent the cost of a packet of tobacco being tipped over certain psychological levels.
Reducing the number of cigarettes in a pack from 20 to 19, 18 or even 17, while keeping the price stable means the higher cost per cigarette isn’t immediately obvious to most smokers – and the producer can make greater profits.
The industry also used price marked packaging to limit the ability of retailers to increase their small markup on tobacco sales as a further way of keeping tobacco cheap. Sales of 10-cigarette packs increased and very small packs of loose tobacco (10g or less) were introduced. These small packets appeal to the most price sensitive smokers as they cost less to buy.
Such tactics and small packs have recently been banned in the UK with the introduction of standardised packaging (where tobacco has to be sold in a standardised format with drab packaging) but are still available elsewhere. The UK has also introduced a new minimum excise tax which puts the average price at over £10 for a packet of 20 cigarettes stopping the sale of ultra-cheap mainstream tobacco products.
Ultimately the tobacco industry wouldn’t be manipulating price if it wasn’t so effective in ensuring young people take up smoking and in preventing existing smokers from quitting. So what more can we do?
Stubbing it out
Further restricting industry use of pricing tactics would be a good option. Companies could be limited in the number of brands and brands variants they sell to cut down on the range of prices on offer, and in the number of times they can change prices in order to remove their ability to smooth prices and directly undermine the public health benefits of tax increases.
There is even a case for directly regulating tobacco prices in the same way that prices for public utility services, such as water and electricity are often determined by independent government agencies. Public utilities are important services, which is why the government looks to protect the public from company pricing choices – but then tobacco is a very addictive and deadly product where price matters too.
Support free-thinking journalism and subscribe to Independent Minds
Meanwhile, Bloomberg Philanthropies recently announced a $20m (£16m) investment to create Stop (Stopping Tobacco Organisations and Products) – a global tobacco industry watchdog to help expose more of these practices. The Tobacco Control Research Group at the University of Bath is one of three partners funded to lead this initiative.
The public can cannot afford to let the industry operate under the radar when the product they make kills two out of three long term users. This new partnership will serve as a necessary watchdog to expose their deadly tactics.
Anna Gilmore is a professor of public health and director of the Tobacco Control Research Group, J Robert Branston is a senior lecturer in business economics and Rosemary Hiscock is a research associate at the University of Bath. This article first appeared on The Conversation (theconversation.com)
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