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MONDAY, Aug. 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Teens increasingly are turning to nicotine-loaded gum, lozenges and gummies for a quick rush, a groundbreaking study warns.Tobacco-free oral nicotine products were the second-most commonly used nicotine or tobacco items among more than 3,500 Southern California ninth- and tenth-graders surveyed last fall, researchers reported Aug. 8 in the journal Pediatrics.About 3.4% of respondents said they’d tried the flavored nicotine products. E-cigarettes were the most popular, with 9.6% reporting that they’d vaped.All other products, including tobacco cigarettes, had been used by fewer than 1% of teens polled.This is the first study to try to assess how common these new nicotine products have become among teenagers, said lead researcher Alyssa...

MONDAY, Aug. 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) – Smoking and older age are the two most important risk factors for cancer, a new, large study shows.The researchers also said doctors should look at excess body fat, family history and several other factors to help patients decide if they need additional screening and preventive interventions.“Single cancer type-specific screening recommendations are based on risk factors for that specific type of cancer,” said lead study author Dr. Alpa Patel, senior vice president of population science at the American Cancer Society. “Our findings are encouraging as we are working to define subgroups in the general population who could benefit from enhanced cancer screening and prevention.”To identify factors associated with more than a 2% risk of...

MONDAY, Aug. 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- After experiencing a case of COVID rebound late last month, President Joe Biden tested negative Saturday and Sunday and left the White House for his home state of Delaware."He will safety return to public engagement and presidential travel," Biden's doctor, Kevin O'Connor wrote in a letter posted Sunday."I’m feeling good," Biden told the Associated Press while boarding Marine One for a trip to Rehoboth Beach.The President, who is fully vaccinated and boosted, first tested positive for COVID-19 on July 21and began taking the antiviral Paxlovid, to reduce the odds of severe disease. According to his doctor, Biden’s vital signs remained normal throughout his infection, but his symptoms included a runny nose, cough, sore throat and body...

MONDAY, Aug. 8, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Fewer people tried to quit smoking as the COVID-19 pandemic began, and this continued for at least a year, according to a new U.S. study.The American Cancer Society detailed pandemic smoking behavior in the report, while stressing the need to re-engage smokers in smoking cessation campaigns.“Smoking cessation is an urgent public health priority given that smoking is associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes and at least 12 cancers,” said lead study author Dr. Priti Bandi. She is principal scientist for risk factors and screening surveillance research at the society. “It is essential to re-engage persons who smoke in serious attempts to quit smoking, considering a typical smoker tries to quit on average six times before...