Nicotine pouches, vaping or cigarettes: Which nicotine product is actually the least harmful? - MyChamplainValley.com

OTTAWA — Federal Health Minister Marjorie Michel says she’s not considering changes to regulations that restrict the sale of nicotine pouches, while tobacco control groups say the government needs to do more to tamp out the illicit market. Health Canada regulates nicotine pouches as an aid to quit smoking and restricts their sales to adults. They are not allowed to be sold for recreational use and must be kept behind the counter at pharmacies.

A common liver disease affecting nearly 30% of adults worldwide is far more complex than previously understood. Researchers at Mayo Clinic have identified five biologically distinct forms of the condition, each associated with different risks of serious health complications, including heart disease, liver failure, cancer, and the need for a liver transplant. The findings, published in Nature Communications, come from a collaboration between Mayo Clinic and Virginia Tech. Scientists discovered that metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease, or MASLD, can develop through several different biological pathways. Some are closely connected to obesity and diabetes, while others appear to be driven by inherited genetic differences.

IntroductionHypertension is a major global health concern and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality [1]. It is estimated that more than 19 million annual deaths are attributed to cardiovascular disease (CVD) worldwide [2]. In Japan, high blood pressure (BP) has been consistently identified as a strong risk factor for the national burden of CVD, in terms of notable incidence, mortality, direct/indirect healthcare costs, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) associated with this condition [3, 4]. Although age-specific mean BP declined in Japan over recent decades [5], hypertension remains a critical public health issue, particularly because of the rapid aging population. The proportion of individuals aged ≥65 years is projected to reach approximately 35% by 2040 in Japan [6], highlighting a potentially higher future burden of hypertension in this country. While the prevalence of hypertension increases with age, population aging may offset the benefits of declining BP levels in each age group. As a result, the future burden of hypertension in Japan remains uncertain.