 Previous studies have revealed various effects of alcohol consumption on the risk of cardiovascular disease, depending on the cardiovascular event under study and on the amount of alcohol consumed. Consuming moderate amounts of alcohol has been consistently associated with reduced risks of coronary heart disease, stroke, and congestive heart...
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 Researchers have identified the precise mechanisms by which binge drinking contributes to clogs in arteries that lead to heart attack and stroke. The study adds to a growing body of evidence that drinking patterns are just as much as a risk, if not more, for cardiovascular disease than the total...
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 When given a choice between viewing pictures of cocaine and a variety of other images, individuals with cocaine addiction, as compared to healthy, non-addicted research subjects, show a clear preference for drug related images. "This behavioral study demonstrates for the first time that drug related choice in cocaine addiction extends...
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 Many studies on cocaine addiction - and attempts to block its addictiveness - have focused on dopamine transporters, proteins that reabsorb the brain's "reward" chemical once its signal is sent. Since cocaine blocks dopamine transporters from doing their recycling job, it leaves the feel-good chemical around to keep sending the...
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 A new study suggests that genetic factors influence size variations in a certain region of the brain, which could in turn be partly responsible for increased susceptibility to alcohol addiction. It appears that the size of the right orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), an area of the brain that is involved in...
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 Thursday, November 20, 2008 was the 33rd Great American Smokeout, and the American Cancer Society continues its legacy of providing free resources to help smoking cessation. The Great American Smokeout was inaugurated in 1976 to inspire and encourage smoking cessation for one day. Now, 44.2 percent of the 45.3 million...
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 As Americans prepared for a day of smoking cessation as part of the American Cancer Society Great American Smokeout in 2008, new research gives them more reasons to consider permanent smoking cessation, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation. Among the new research presented at the...
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 New research findings suggest that structural abnormalities in the brains of those afflicted by cocaine addiction are related in part to drug abuse and in part to a predisposition toward addiction. The research maps the topography of the addicted brain and provides new insight into the effect of cocaine...
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 These PET scans show a comparison of the distribution of crystal meth (left) and cocaine (right) in the human brain using a rainbow scale (red indicating the highest concentration of drug, purple the lowest). Crystal meth binds all over the brain and stays a long time while cocaine binds only...
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 The more alcohol an individual drinks, the smaller his or her total brain volume, according to a report in the October issue of Archives of Neurology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Brain volume decreases with age at an estimated rate of 1.9 percent per decade, accompanied by an increase in...
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 Parents who smoke cigarettes around their kids in cars and homes beware, second-hand smoke may trigger symptoms of nicotine dependence in children. The findings are published in the September edition of the journal Addictive Behaviors in a joint study from nine Canadian institutions. "Increased exposure to second-hand smoke, both in...
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 Sugar addiction has long been joked about. Most researchers, however, believed you could not get hooked on sweets and lose control over consuming them, as if they were drugs. Studies are now making some scientists revisit the idea. The results do not indicate that donuts are in the same category...
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