考研英語外報閱讀3

DoesDrinkingWaterBeforeMealsHelpYouLoseWeight?

Twoglassesbeforemealsmayhelpyoushedpoundspermanently

ByHANNADUBANSKY

Posted:November24,2010

Drinkingtwo8-ounceglassesofwaterbeforebreakfast,lunch,anddinner

maybejustthebackstopyourwillpowerneedstohelpyoushedpounds

permanentlyin2011,accordingtoarecentstudypublishedinObesity.

Researchersinstructedtwogroupsofoverweightorobesemenand

womentofollowalow-caloriediet,askingonegrouptoalsodrinktwo

cupsofwaterbeforemeals.After12weeks,thewaterdrinkershadlost

anaverageof15%pounds,comparedwith11poundsforthecontrol

group.Thosewhocontinuedthehabitforayearlostanadditional1%

poundsonaverage."Iwouldneverpromotethisasaget-slim-quick

scheme,"saysseniorstudyauthorBrendaDavy,anassociateprofessorin

thedepartmentofhumannutrition,foods,andexerciseatVirginiaTech

University,whonotesthatthepracticeslowstheemptyingofthestomach.

"Thisissimplyanadditionalstrategythatcouldhelppeoplemanagetheir

hunger."

Thestudyexaminedtheeffectonlyonmiddle-ageandolderadults,but

LiweiChen,anassistantprofessorofepidemiologyatLouisianaState

UniversityHealthScienceCenterSchoolofPublicHealth,thinksit'sa

smartstrategyforeverybody,particularlyifitcausesthemtocutbackon

soda.Americanadultsaverage28ouncesofsugar-sweetenedbeverages

perday,saysChen,wholedastudypublishedinMaythatfoundevena

smallreductioninsugarintakesignificantlyloweredbloodpressure.

"Aimtoavoidsugar-sweetenedbeveragesaltogether,"sheadvises.That

way,youbattletworiskfactorsatonce.

U.S.DietaryGuidelinesAbouttoChange-GetReadyforaSeriousFood

Fight

Newfederaldietaryguidelinescouldgobeyondhowweeattoattack

thewayfoodismarketed

ByHANNADUBANSKY

Posted:November24,2010

AfewmorethantheusualnumberofNewYear'spledgestoeatbetter,

exercisediligently,andshedflabjustmightbekeptin2011,pendingthe

federalgovernment'sabout-to-be-unveiledrevampingofthe2005

DietaryGuidelinesforAmericans.Updatedbylaweveryfiveyearsby

theDepartmentofAgricultureandDepartmentofHealthandHuman

Services,theguidelinesdirectfederalnutritionalpolicyfromthecontents

ofan8-year-old'scafeteriatraytothenumbersdisplayedonthe

nutritionallabelofacanoftomatosoup.FewAmericansareleft

untouchedbytheirrecommendations.

Thethrustanddetailsofthe2010guidelineswon'tbeknownuntilthey

arereleased,achangefrombefore,whenthegovernmentsimplyadopted

therecommendationsofanadvisorypanel.ThistimeDOAandHHSare

hammeringoutthefinalversionbehindthecurtains,witha13-member

advisorypanelprovidinginputratherthandictatingthecontent.Butthe

reportandrecommendationsreleasedbythepanelinJuneareboundto

carryheavyweight.Ifthepanel'sinputforeshadowstheshapeandscope

oftheguidelinesthegovernmentwillissue,thepublicwillseeathorough

overhaul,andonethatreflectsasenseofurgency.

Thereportmarksthefirsttimeproposedguidelineshaveconfronted

obesitydirectly.Itnotesthatnearlythree-fourthsofwomenand

two-thirdsofmenarenowconsideredoverweightorobese,anditcalls

forquickandfar-reachingchanges—notonlyinpersonaldietand

lifestylebutalsointhemarketplace,toreversethetrend."Theobesity

epidemichasonlygottenworsesince2005,"saysLindaVanHorn,chair

oftheadvisorycommitteeandprofessorofpreventivemedicineat

NorthwesternUniversity.

TheadvisorsalsoobservedthatAmericanseatnotonlytoomuchbutnot

enoughofwhattheyshould.The2005guidelinesurgedgreater

consumptionoffruitandvegetables,forinstance,butarecentreportfrom

theCentersforDiseaseControlandPreventionfoundthatin2009only

aboutoneinthreeadultshadmorethanasingleservingoffruitadayand

oneinfourhadmorethantwohelpingsofvegetables—farshortofthe

recommendedtwoandthreedailyservingsrespectively.

Thequestioniswhatwilltakesomeoftheairoutoftheballooning

obesityrate-atrendthatWalterWillett,professorofepidemiologyand

nutritionattheHarvardSchoolofPublicHealth,partlyblamesonthe

existingguidelines.Byvilifyingfatsandoverpromotingcarbohydrates,

hesays,"thecurrentguidelinesmayhaveindirectlycontributedtothe

obesityepidemic."Willettisamongachorusofcriticseagerforchange.

MyPyramid,theiconicvisualsummaryofthe2005guidelines,iswidely

viewedashardtodecipher(whatdothosecoloredstripesmean?)andthe

guidelinesareseenaslaggingbehindcurrentthinkingbothondesirable

amountsofnutrientssuchasproteins,carbohydrates,andtransfatsandin

focusingtoospecificallyonsuchnutrients.Advisingthepublicto"avoid

toomuchfat,saturatedfat,andcholesterol,"andto"eatfoodswith

adequatestarchandfiber,"forexample,isseenbytheadvisorypanelas

givinginsufficientattentiontootherattributesoffoodquality.

Atfirstglance,theadvisorsseemtofollowthewell-wornpathofa

generalattackonfat,sugar,andsalt(proposinga35percentdecreasein

thedailysaltallowance,forexample),exhortationtoconsumemore

vegetablesandwholegrains,andpraiseforseafood,leanmeats,poultry,

eggs,andfat-freeandlow-fatmilkasopposedtofattiersourcesof

protein.

Buttwonewchaptersinthereportsignalaclearchangeindirection.One

blendsthepanel'sfindingsintoapracticalapproachtoeating.Theother

discusseswhatitcalls"powerfulinfluencesthatcurrentlypromote

unhealthyconsumerchoices,behaviorsandlifestyles"—thebillionsof

dollarsspentonmarketingjunkfood,forone-andlaysoutwaysto

sidestepbarrierstoahealthierlifestyle.Fruitsandveggiescouldbemore

widelyavailablebyencouragingthegrowthoffarmers'markets,for

example.Andallofthepanel'sproposalsrelyonsolidfindings-theyare

"evidence-based,"inscience-speak-thatutilizetheNutritionEvidence

LibraryestablishedbytheUSDAin2009.

"Tremendouseffortwasputforthtonotstopatpointingtoproblems,but

makingspecificrecommendationsonhowtoaddressthem,"saysVan

Horn."It'sonethingtoreviewtheevidence;it'sanothertotakethose

findingsandcreateimplementablestrategiesthatwork."Andinfants,

children,andpregnantwomen,vulnerablesubgroupsignoredinprevious

reports,eachgetindividualattention.

Industryoppositionandlobbyinginresponsetothereporthavebeen

intense.Themeatlobbyopposestherecommendedshifttowardamore

"plant-based"diet.TheSaltInstitutehasaggressivelybattledthe

proposedreductioninthedailyceilingonsodium.Thedairyindustryis

waryofrecommendationsforreducedsugar,lestflavoredmilkfallsout

offavor.

Butiftheyaretohaverealimpact,thenewguidelinesmustbeaggressive,

saysVanHorn,whonotesthatpriorguidelinesmostlyaddressednutrient

deficienciesandothernutritionalmainstaysandgenerallyavoidedtaking

controversialstands."Weneedtoprioritizeobesity,"shesays."Todo

nothingmorethanwehavemeansthatfiveyearsfromnowwe'llbeinan

evenworsesituation."

BestandWorstFastFoodKids'Meals

Anewreportsuggestsfastfoodisstillunhealthy,addingtoconcerns

aboutchildhoodobesity

ByANGELAHAUPT

Posted:November9,2010

AHappyMealatMcDonald's

Evenifyoudon'twantfrieswiththatkids'meal,chancesareyourfast

foodrestaurantwantstogiveyousome.ChainslikeMcDonald's,Taco

Bell,andBurgerKingofferunhealthysidesanddrinks84percentofthe

time,inlieuoftheirmorenutritiousofferingslikeappleslices,yogurt,

andjuice.That'samongthefindingsofanewanalysisreleasedMonday

byresearchersatYaleUniversity'sRuddCenterforFoodPolicyand

Obesity,whichexaminedfastfoodmarketingandnutritiontrends.The

fastfoodindustryhassteppedupitseffortstoreachchildrenandteens,

theresearcherssay:Lastyear,preschoolerssaw56percentmoreadsfor

Subway,21percentmoreadsforMcDonald's,and9percentmoreadsfor

BurgerKingthantheydidin2007.Andoften,they'rebombardedwith

imagesofsnacksanddesserts—childrenseemorethantwo

advertisementseachdaypromotingunhealthymenuitems.

Thereportaddsweighttoconcernsaboutthechildhoodobesityepidemic.

Asfastfoodmarketingcampaignsbecomemoreaggressive,childrenare

morelikelytochowdownongreasyfriesandburgers,RuddCenter

researcherssay,whichcouldtakeatollontheirwaistlines.And

childhoodobesityisn'tjustashort-termproblem:Obeseteensare16

timesmorelikelythantheirpeerstobecomeseverelyobesebyage30,

accordingtoastudypublishedtodayintheJournaloftheAmerican

MedicalAssociation.(Severeobesitywasdefinedasabodymassindex

of40orgreater;obesitywasdefinedasaBMIofmorethan25.)Severe

obesitycanleadtodiabetes,hypertension,asthma,arthritis,andashorter

life,saysseniorauthorPennyGordon-Larsen,anutritionresearcheratthe

UniversityofNorthCarolina-ChapelHill.

"It'sveryeasytoeatahigh-calorie,high-fatdiet,"shesays."Wehaveso

muchfoodaround-high-fat,high-sugar,tastyfoodthatweneedtobe

verycarefulof.Thosefoodsaremarketedwelltopeople,andmaking

healthierchoicestakesalotmorework."

That'swhyCaliforniaistakingstepstoblunttheinfluencefast-food

marketingcanhavebybanningtoysthatcomewithkids'mealsloaded

withcalories,fat,andsugar.Lastweek,SanFrancisco'sBoardof

Supervisorsapprovedanordinancethatwouldpreventfastfoodchains

fromofferingtoyswithkids'meals,unlesstheycontainlessthan600

calories—nomorethan35percentfromfat-and640milligramsof

sodium.Allmealswouldalsoberequiredtoincludefruitsandvegetables.

ThelegislationcouldbecomelawinDecember.

Industryofficialscitesomechains'increasingemphasisonhealthy

options:"Therecanbenodisputethattherestaurantindustryhasbeen

committedtoprovidingagrowingarrayofnutritiousofferingsfor

children,"JoyDubost,directorofnutritionandhealthylivingatthe

NationalRestaurantAssociation,saidinastatementtoreporters.

"Numeroussurveysshowtheincreasingnumberofhealthfuloptionsin

kids'meals.Andnutritiousofferingsinchildrens'mealsisthenumber

onefoodtrendin[fastfood]restaurants."

TheRuddCenterresearchersanalyzedthecalories,fat,sugar,andsodium

inmorethan3,000possiblecombinationsthatchainsmarketaskids'

meals.Themealswerethenrankedas"best"and"worst"basedon

guidelinessetin2009bytheInstituteofMedicine,anindependent

advisorypaneltotheU.S.government.Preschoolchildrenshould

consumenomorethan410caloriesand544milligramsofsodiumper

meal,accordingtotheIOM,comparedto650caloriesand636

milligramsofsodiumforelementaryschoolchildren,and700calories

and720milligramsofsodiumforolderchildren.Only12kids'meal

combosmettheIOM'Snutritioncriteriaforpreschoolers,while15met

thecriteriaforelementarykids.Another20combosmetkids'calorie

goals,butweretoohighinatleastonearea,likesodium,theRudd

researchersfound.Just36-orapproximately1percent-ofthekids'

mealcombostheyexaminedqualifiedas"best,"whichtheresearchers

ranked.

Thevastmajority,however,wereplacedinthe"worst"categoryand

weren'tranked,sincetheywereall"equallybad,"saysstudyleader

JenniferHarris,directorofmarketinginitiativesattheRuddCenter.

Instead,researchersdescribedtheworstthreekids'mealsateach

restaurant.Butifparentsareturningtoafastfoodrestaurantfordinner,

anyofthe"best"optionsareallreasonable,shesays:"Wefeel

comfortablerecommendingthosemealstochildren."

These,accordingtotheresearchers,aresomeofthebestandworstkids'

mealcombinationsateightpopularfastfoodchains:

Subway

Best:VeggieDelitesandwich(wheatbread,nocheese);appleslices;100

percentjuice.

Rank:#1

?Calories:285calories

?Salt:295milligramsSaturatedfat:0calories

Worst:None."Theyonlyoffermilkand100percentjuice,andtheyhave

applesandyogurtassides.Andtheirsandwichesareallprettylowinfat,"

Harrissays.

BurgerKing

Best:Macaroniandcheese;apple"fries"(withoutcaramelsauce);

fat-freemilk.

?Rank:#6

?Calories:285

?Salt:490milligrams

?Saturatedfat:14calories

Worst:Cheeseburger;Frenchfries;Dr.Pepper

?Calories:635

?Salt:1,106milligrams

Saturatedfat:86calories

KentuckyFriedChicken

Best:Grilledchickendrumstick;cornonthecob;unsweetenedtea;string

cheese.

?Rank:#16

?Calories:270

?Salt:545milligrams

?Saturatedfat:23calories

Worst:Extracrispychickendrumstick;potatowedges;MountainDew;

stringcheese

?Calories:680

?Salt:1,330milligrams

?Saturatedfat:54calories

Sonic

Best:Jr.Burger;appleslices;unsweetenedtea.

?Rank:#20

?Calories:350

?Salt:620milligrams

Saturatedfat:45calories

Worst:Twochickenstripswithranchsauce;Frenchfries;greenapple

slush

?Calories:708

?Salt:1,012milligrams

?Saturatedfat:51calories

Wendy's

Best:Crispychickensandwich;mandarinorangecup;low-fatmilk.

?Rank:#26

?Calories:520

?Salt:815milligrams

?Saturatedfat:41calories

Worst:Fourchickennuggetswithsweetandsoursauce;Frenchfries;

VanillaFrostyJr.

?Calories:610

?Salt:760milligrams

?Saturatedfat:68calories

McDonald's

Best:Hamburger;appledippers(withoutcarameldip);low-fatmilk.

?Rank:#30

?Calories:385

?Salt:645milligrams

?Saturatedfat:45calories

Worst:Cheeseburger;Frenchfries;Hi-COrangeLavaburst

?Calories:650

?Salt:910milligrams

?Saturatedfat:68calories

DairyQueen

Best:Chickenstripswithketchup;applesauce;Sprite;vanillaice-cream

cone.

?Rank:#33

?Calories:628

Salt:1,000milligrams

?Saturatedfat:32calories

Worst:Cheeseburger;Frenchfries;MountainDew;chocolateDillyBar

?Calories:973

?Salt:1,450milligrams

?Saturatedfat:171calories

TacoBell

Best:None.TacoBelldidnotmeettheresearchers'criteriaforhealthy

options.

Worst:Beanburrito;cinnamontwists;MountainDewBajaBlast

?Calories:760

?Salt:1,530milligrams

?Saturatedfat:32calories

CancerPrevention:RethinkYourDietasWellasYourSmoking

ManycancerscouldbepreventedifAmericansquitsmokingandate

differently

ByDEBORAHKOTZ

Posted:September8,2010

Ifeveryoneweretoquitsmokingtoday,nearly450,000fewerAmericans

woulddieannuallyfromsmoking-relateddiseases.Yetevenwithallthe

smokingbansacrossthecountry,oneinfiveAmericansstilllightsup

regularly-aratethat'splateauedsince2005afterfourdecadesofdecline,

accordingtoareportissuedTuesdaybytheCentersforDiseaseControl

andPrevention.Whilethesmoking-lungcancerconnectionisanoldstory,

everyweek,itseems,anotherheadlinetellsyouwhatyoushouldor

shouldn'teattoavertthe"bigC".Eatacolorfularrayoffruitsand

vegetablestowardofflungcancer,saysonerecentstudy;avoidsoft

drinksifyoudon'twanttodieofpancreaticcancer,warnsanother.Wine

isgoodforyourheart,butmayincreaseyourriskofbreastcancer,others

suggest.

Andwhowouldn'tbewillingtogiveuptheDietCokeorchardonnayto

sidestepthediseasewefearmost?Ityoutookactionbasedonresearch

publishedthisweekintheAnnalsofInternalMedicine,youmightfind

yourselfforgoinghamburgersandchickenwingsandembracingsoy

burgers,tofu,andpeanutbutterinstead.Thatstudyfoundthatan

Atkins-styledietthatemphasizedvegetableproteinoveranimalprotein

loweredtheriskofcancer.Butallthingsconsidered,howmuchdo

dietarychangesreallymatterintermsofcancerprevention?"Rightafter

smoking,dietranksrightupthereastheNo.2modifiableriskfactor,"

saysDemetriusAlbanes,aseniorinvestigatorandmedicalepidemiologist

attheNationalCancerInstitute."Twenty-fivepercentofcancerscanbe

relatedbacktoeatingpractices."Doesthatmeanwereallyneedtoavoid

softdrinksifwedon'twanttogetpancreaticcancer,aswassuggestedby

arecentstudyinthejournalCancerEpidemiology,Biomarkers&

Prevention?"Idon'tthinkwecansaythat,"Albanessays,"That

particularstudyfromSingaporedidn'tcontrolverywellforsmoking,

whichisanimportantriskfactorforpancreaticcancer."Inotherwords,it

couldbethatthosewhodowndailysix-packsofFantaarealsomore

likelytolightup.

Thereinliestherub.Unlikesmoking,whichisclearlycarcinogenic,no

singlefoodornutrientreallyimpactsyouroverallriskofgettingalungor

breasttumor,saysAlbanes,whohelpedconductthe1994clinicaltrial

showingthatsmokersrandomlyassignedtotakeeitherbetacaroteneor

vitaminEsupplementsdidn'tgetanylesslungcancerthanthosewho

weregivenplacebos.It'sreallyaboutthecompositionofyouroveralldiet.

What'sclear,hesays,isthatthevarietyofnutrientspackedintofoods

likegreenleafyproduce,orangesweetpotatoes,andbrightpink

nectarinesallworkinsynergytohelpthebodyfendoffcancercells.

Mostlikely,followingaMediterranean-styledietbasedonfruits,

vegetables,fish,nuts,andwholegrainshelpsloweryourcancerrisk.And

thelatestresearchsuggeststhattweakingthisplantoincludelessbread

andpastaandmoreplantproteinlikesoycouldhaveaddedbenefits.

"Researchshowsthataplant-baseddietisideal,thelessprocessedthe

better,"saysAliceBender,anutritionistattheAmericanInstitutefor

CancerResearch,anonprofitresearchorganizationinWashington,D.C.

"Avoiddeep-friedfoodsandaddedsaltandsugar,thesortsoffoodsthat

aredenseincalories."Agoodruleofthumb:Twothirdsofyourplate

shouldbefilledwithvegetablesandlegumes,whilejustonethirdshould

provideanimalprotein.Thetypeofanimalproteinmatters.Tryto

minimizeyourintakeofdelimeats,hotdogs,andotherprocessed

meats-whichareprettystronglyassociatedwithcolorectalcancer-and

limityourconsumptionofredmeattonomorethan18ouncesperweek

sincemorealsoincreasescancerrisk.

Whatalsomattersishowmuchyouweighandhowmanycaloriesyou

burn.Beingoverweightandinactiveappearstofostercelldivisionand

proliferation,whichmaygiverisetotumors.Obesityalsogoeshandin

handwithhighinsulinlevelsandinflammation,twometabolicstatesthat

helpcancersgrowandspread."Itisjustnowbecomingapparentthat

obesityisamajorriskfactorforseveralcancers,"sayscancerresearcher

JuneStevens,chairofthedepartmentofnutritionattheUniversityof

NorthCarolina."Physicalactivitytendstobeprotective.Sopeople

shouldthinkaboutlosingweightandbeingphysicallyactivetoprevent

cancer.Ofcourse,iftheyloseweightbybeingmorephysicallyactiveand

eatingmorefruitsandvegetablesandlessredmeatandalcohol—so

muchthebetter!"

12ReasonstoReallyQuitSmoking

Nevermindcancerorheartdiseaseforamoment.Herearesome

nonobviousreasonstosnubcigarettes

ByLINDSAYLYON

Posted:November14,2008

We'llspareyouthelecture.(Seriously,though.Stampoutthatbuttand

flushthepack,already.)Tobaccouse,namelycigarettesmoking,isthe

chiefcauseofpreventabledeathintheUnitedStates.Leftunbridled,

smokingcouldkillmorethanabillionpeoplethiscentury,accordingto

theWorldHealthOrganization.Thatequalsthenumberwhowoulddieif

aTitanicsankevery24minutesforthenext100years,asformerU.S.

SurgeonGeneralC.EverettKoopsostarklyputitataMarchpress

conference.

Still,itmaybeharderthanevertoquit:Threequartersoftoday'ssmokers

tryingtoshedthehabitareheavilyhookedonnicotine,up32percent

fromalmosttwodecadesago,accordingtoresearchpresentedatthe

AmericanCollegeofChestPhysicians'annualmeetinginOctober.So

quitting,formost,isnotmerelyamatterofwillpower.Nonetheless,the

reasonstodosokeepamassing—andthey'renotallaboutheartdisease,

lungcancer,orrespiratoryproblems.Here'safewdownsidesyoumight

nothaveconsidered.

1.Itfogsthemind.Smokingmaycloudthemind,accordingto

accumulatingresearch.AJunestudyintheArchivesofInternalMedicine

foundthatsmokinginmiddleageislinkedtomemoryproblemsandtoa

slideinreasoningabilities,thoughtheserisksappearedlessenedforthose

who'dlongquit;thisisimportant,theauthorswrote,becauseother

researchhasshownthatpeoplewithmildcognitiveimpairmentinmidlife

developdementiaatanacceleratedrate.Theirreportpiggybackson

severalfocusedontheolderset:A2007analysisof19priorstudies

concludedthatelderlysmokersfaceaheightenedriskofdementiaand

cognitivedecline,comparedwithlifelongnonsmokers.Andin2004,

researchersreportedinNeurologythatsmokingappearedtohasten

cognitivedeclineindementia-freeelderlysmokers,bringingitonseveral

timesfasterthanintheirnonsmokingpeers.

2.Itmaybringondiabetes.Asifweneedanymoreriskfactorsfor

diabetes,ananalysispublishedintheJournaloftheAmericanMedical

Associationlastyearfoundthatacross25priorstudies,currentsmokers

havea44percentgreaterchanceofdevelopingtype2diabetesthan

nonsmokersdo,andtheriskwasstrongestforthosewiththeheaviest

habit,whoclocked20ormorecigarettesperday.Inanaccompanying

editorial,researchersmadeastrikingestimation:Thatsome12percentof

alltype2diabetescasesnationwidemightbeattributabletosmoking.

3.Itinvitesinfections.InOctober,thefederalAdvisoryCommitteeon

ImmunizationPracticesmadeitsfirsteverrecommendationthatall

smokersages19to64beaddedtoashortlistofcandidatesforthe

pneumococcalvaccine.That'sbecausethereareverystrongdatashowing

thattheriskofinfectionbypneumonia-causingbacteriaissubstantially

greaterforsmokersthanfornonsmokers,saysPekkaNuorti,amedical

epidemiologistattheCentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.Exactly

whyisunclear,thoughthere'sevidencethatsmokingmaydamagethe

respiratorysystem'sprotectivemucousmembranes,makingiteasierfor

infectiousorganismstolatchonandcausedisease,saysNuorti.Other

researchsuggeststhatsmokingmayinterferewithimmunity,

compromisingpeople'sabilitytofightinfections,headds.

Heightenedsusceptibilitytoinfections,itappears,isn'tlimitedjustto

thosewhodothesmoking:AMaystudyinTobaccoControlfoundthat

childrenexposedtosecondhandsmokeathomeduringearlyinfancy

(especiallythosebornprematurelyorwithalowbirthweight)aremore

pronetoathrongofsevereillnessesthatmaylandtheminthehospitalat

somepointduringchildhood.Thefindingswerebasedonananalysisof

morethan7,000Chinesechildrenfrom1997to2005.

4.Itmaystultifyasexlife.IfmenwanttohopaboardtheViagra

bandwagon,mountingevidencesuggeststhatpuffingcigarettesmightbe

justtheirticket.Smokersaremoreapttoexperienceerectiledysfunction

thannonsmokersare,andthisriskclimbsasthenumberofcigarettes

smokedincreases.AstudyintheAmericanJournalofEpidemiologyin

2007trackedmorethan7,500Chinesemenwithlowriskfor

artherosclerosis,achiefunderlyingcauseoferectiledysfunction,and

foundthatsmokingcouldindependentlyhikeaman'schanceof

wranglingwiththesexualcondition.Preventingsmokingisan"important

approach"forcuttingtheriskofED,theresearchersconcluded.

5.Itmayleadtowrinkles…everywhere.Notonlydoessmoking

contributetoprematurefacialwrinkles,buta2007studyintheArchives

ofDermatologyfoundthatitmayalsoleadtowrinklingofskinthat

rarelyseesthelightofday-inareassuchastheinnerarmandperhaps

thebuttocks.

6.Itmayhastenmenopause.Womenwhosmokefaceanincreasedrisk

ofinfertility,andtheymayexperiencenaturalmenopauseatayounger

agethandononsmokers,accordingtothe2004andthe2001Surgeon

General'sReports,respectively.Furtherevidence:A2001animalstudyin

NatureGeneticsfoundthatchemicalsincigarettesmokecanhurry

menopausebykillingoffeggcellsmadebyovaries,therebydwindling

theeggcellreserve.Sincethetimingofmenopauseisdictatedbythesize

ofawoman'seggcellreserve-whichisstockedwithaboutamillion

eggsatbirthandvanishesbymenopause-anythingthatspeedsupits

losscouldlogicallyleadtoamuchearlieronsetoffertilitytroubles,notes

JonathanTilly,oneofthestudy'sauthorsanddirectoroftheVincent

CenterforReproductiveBiologyatMassachusettsGeneralHospital.

Moreworrisome:Womenwhosmokeduringpregnancymaybe

compromisingnotonlytheirownfuturefertilitybutthefertilityoftheir

unborndaughters.Instudiestestingthatidea,miceexposedtochemicals

incigarettesmokeduringgestationwerebomwithshrunkeneggreserves.

"Evenunderthebest-chancescenario—you'reanonsmoker,you're

healthy,you'reyoung,youeatwell,you'reinshape-humanfertilityisn't

100percent,"saysTilly."Anythingyoucandotomakeitbetteris

certainlyworthyourwhile."

7.Itmaydullvision.Severalstudieshavefoundarobustlinkbetween

smokingandeyedisease,specificallyage-relatedmaculardegeneration,

whichcanpermanentlyblurvisionorcauseblindness.A2005reviewof

17studiesinthejournalEyereportedthatactivesmokersmayfacetwoto

threetimestheriskfordevelopingthediseaseexperiencedbythosewho

haveneversmoked.

8.Ithurtsbones.Smokingweakensthebody'sscaffoldingandisa

seriousriskfactorforosteoporosis,accordingtotheNationalInstituteof

ArthritisandMusculoskeletalandSkinDiseases.It'sbeenshowntofritter

awaybonedensityinpostmenopausalwomenandtohiketheriskofhip

fracturesinbothsexes,accordingtothe2004SurgeonGeneral'sReport.

(Peoplewhoendurehipfracturesare12to20percentmorelikelytodie

thanthosewhodon't,theReportnotes,thoughthereareways

osteoporosissuffererscanprotectthemselves.)Smokersmayalso

experienceslowerhealingofbrokenbonesandwoundedtissuesthando

nonsmokers.

9.Itmayinjuretheinsides.Sure,cigarettesmaybesmoothtoinhale,

buttheycanroughupthedigestivesystem,leadingtoheartbum,peptic

ulcers,andpossiblygallstones,accordingtotheNationalInstituteof

DiabetesandDigestiveandKidn