Poor Diet May Make COPD Worse, Study Finds

(HealthDay News) -- Certain vitamin deficiencies may lead to decreased lung function in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, says a new study.

For the study, 20 COPD patients (13 women, seven men) completed a questionnaire to assess their dietary intake of vitamins A, C, D, E and selenium, all of which contain cell-protecting antioxidants. A diet low in antioxidants -- as compared to national dietary intake requirements -- was common among the patients.

The percentages of deficiencies were: 25 percent (selenium), 45 percent (vitamin C), 90 percent (vitamin E), 55 percent (vitamin A), and 70 percent (vitamin D).

The researchers then measured the maximum amount of air the patients could exhale with force. All the patients with a selenium-deficient diet had decreased lung function. Among patients deficient in vitamins C, A, and D, only men had decreased lung function. Read more...

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Gruesome Cigarette Pack Images Make Smokers Want to Quit, Study Finds

(HealthDay News) -- Earlier this month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed graphic new warning labels on cigarette packaging, to help curb smoking. But do these often gruesome images work to help smokers quit?

A new study suggests they do. Smokers shown grim images of a mouth with a swollen, blackened and generally horrifying cancerous growth covering much of the lip were more likely to say they wanted to quit than smokers shown less disturbing images.

Researchers had 500 smokers from the United States and Canada view a cigarette package with no image; a package with an image of a mouth with white, straight teeth; one with an image of a moderately damaged smoker's mouth; and a disfigured mouth with the stomach-turning mouth cancer.

Though researchers did not measure who actually quit, "intention to quit" is an important step in the process -- and the more gruesome the image, the more smokers said they wanted to finally kick the habit, according to the study. Read more...

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