Teenagers who feel relaxed after their first drags on a cigarette are most likely to become addicted to smoking, a sign that some people’s brains are more susceptible to nicotine, researchers have discovered.  This is bad news in the fight for teenage smokers.

While peer pressure and other factors may lead young people to try smoking, it is the brain’s response to that first dose of nicotine that likely most determines who gets addicted, according to DiFranza’s report published in Pediatrics, the journal of the American  Experiencing a feeling of relaxation in response to the first cigarette was the strongest predictor of addiction, the study found.

The study said one theory suggests nicotine suppresses pathways in the brain that generate the feeling of craving, which is experienced as relaxation. That in turn creates a craving for nicotine when the drug is absent.

Over the four years of the study between 2002 and 2006, 11 interviews were conducted with each of 1,000 teenagers attending public schools in six Massachusetts communities.  Of the 217 who tried smoking during the study, nearly one-third reported feeling relaxed after inhaling for the first time, and two-thirds of them became addicted to smoking.

Overall, 83 of the 217 participants who tried cigarettes became smokers.  Other risk factors for addiction among first-time smokers was a depressed mood, a novelty-seeking personality, and familiarity with “Joe Camel,” the animated character used to advertise Reynolds American Inc’s Camel brand, the study said.  “The Joe Camel campaign was discontinued in August of 1997 as our subjects entered 2nd grade (around age 7), suggesting that the deleterious effects of cigarette advertising persist long after the exposure,” the study said.

Among the traits that protected students from becoming addicted were being involved in extracurricular activities which is not surpising because they are probably more rounded individuals which inturn would help them make better life choices.

Heavy smokers with knee arthritis may be experiencing an early sign of a difficult-to-treat lung cancer, research shows.   Researchers at Prato Hospital in Italy reviewed the case files of 296 patients with inflammation in one knee between 2000 and 2005.

In just under 2 percent of these patients, the mild knee arthritis was accompanied by non-small cell lung cancer. All patients were middle-aged men who had been heavy smokers for most of their lives. Once the cancer tissue was surgically removed, the knee pain cleared up as well.

About 85 percent of all lung cancers are non-small cell lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Unless it is caught early, non-small cell lung cancer is difficult to treat. It spreads to the bones in one in five cases and is well advanced by the time it is diagnosed in half of all cases.  Writing in the September issue of The Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, the researchers noted that early warning signs such as knee pain could lead to earlier diagnosis and more successful treatments.  My knees have been hurting but I haven’t had a cigarette for almost 20 years!

Here is a brief look at some of the top health headlines this week:

-Antidepressant prescription rates are on the rise – they’re now prescribed more often than drugs for blood pressure, asthma, or high cholesterol.

-Teens in Canada are smoking less, both males and females with teenage girls leading the way.  Great news from up North!

-According to a study by the National Health and Social Life Survey, the U.S. circumcision rate peaked at nearly 90 percent in the early 1960s but began dropping in the ’70s. By 2004, the most recent year for which government figures are available, about 57 percent of all male newborns delivered in hospitals were circumcised. In some states, the rate is well below 50 percent.  It is thought that rates are still dropping and may be as low as 46% as a national average.

-For those of you that always thought women are way more chatty than guys;  researchers placed microphones on 396 college students for periods ranging from two to 10 days, sampled their conversations and calculated how many words they used in the course of a day.  The score: Women, 16,215. Men, 15,669.   Now that is truly a surprise, maybe it has something to do with men getting better at expressing themselves?

People who are often stressed out or depressed are far more likely to develop memory problems than those with more happy dispositions, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a finding that sheds light on early predictors of Alzheimer’s disease.

They said those who most often are anxious or depressed were 40 times more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment, a form of memory loss that is often a transitional stage between normal aging and dementia.

Researchers analyzed data from two large studies involving 1,256 older people who started the studies with no memory problems.  After up to 12 years of follow up, 482 people in the study developed mild cognitive impairment. Participants were rated on how prone they are to worry and depression.

“What we’re measuring is a personality trait that we all have to greater or lesser degree. We all experience anxiety and periodic depression. This trait helps identify people for whom that is more characteristic than others,” said Wilson, whose study appears in this week’s issue of the journal Neurology.

“This isn’t a measure of stress, but of the response to stress,” he said.

The latest research suggests that chronic stress may harm parts of the brain responsible for responding to stress — an area that is also associated with memory, he said.  So now all you depressed folks have another reason to be stressed out and depressed.

Remeber those fat burning jiggle machines of the 1950’s?  Well they seem to be coming back into style.  Even NASA is testing the concept.

These machines use vibrations to tone muscle and claim to do it faster. Aggressive promoters also say the equipment improves flexibility and strength, reduces pain and stress, builds muscle and reverses osteoporosis. 

However, researchers warn of possible injuries ranging from back pain to cartilage damage. One even warns that the high-powered jiggling might harm the brain. They say the science is thin and too little is known about the long-term effects of such powerful vibrations.

Still, NASA is studying vibration as a possible tool for reducing muscle atrophy and bone loss during astronauts’ long, weightless trips in space.

And users of the equipment love the sensation and the quick workout. Workout times are reduced by two-thirds, advocates say, a claim that appeals to busy professionals, mothers of young children and just about anyone who shuns exercise.

“I feel kind of tingly and a little like I got off a ship, kind of shaky but in a good way,” said Amy Allen, a 40-year-old working mom in Chicago, after a 25-minute workout on the Power Plate, one of the higher-end brands. “I’m hoping this is the solution to help me get that extra weight off.”

The Power Plate vibrates 20 to 50 times a second in three directions, increasing g-forces on the body, and according to the Northbrook, Ill.-based company of the same name. The company says that raises the effectiveness of lunges, squats and other exercises done while standing on it.  So go-ahead and shake a leg and get fit.