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Category: Science & Innovation

  • Korean Study Finds Heavy Smoking Ups Fatty Liver Risk 41% in Young Men

    Korean Study Finds Heavy Smoking Ups Fatty Liver Risk 41% in Young Men

    A large South Korean study found that heavy smoking is associated with a significantly higher risk of fatty liver disease among young adults, adding to evidence linking smoking with metabolic liver disorders. Researchers from Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital and Ewha Womans University analyzed health screening data from nearly 3.5 million adults aged 20 to 39 and found that men who smoked 20 or more cigarettes per day had a 41% greater risk of developing fatty liver disease, while smoking for 10 to 19 years increased risk by 15%.

    Although relatively few women in the study smoked, female smokers with a 10- to 19-year history faced an even greater increase in risk. The researchers said the findings support strengthening smoking cessation policies, noting that smoking appears to increase fatty liver risk independently of obesity and alcohol consumption.

  • Rutgers’ CRST Touts Ability to Predict Industry Trends

    Rutgers’ CRST Touts Ability to Predict Industry Trends

    Researchers at Rutgers University’s Center for Rapid Surveillance of Tobacco (CRST) say their real-time monitoring system, developed after Juul’s rapid rise, is helping regulators identify emerging nicotine products before they become widespread. In a special issue of Preventive Medicine Reports, the center detailed how it combines retail audits, sales data, marketing surveillance, and consumer surveys to track more than 50 tobacco and nicotine brands.

    “Large federal surveys are like an aircraft carrier in the ocean,” said Cristine Delnevo, CRST’s director and principal investigator. “They’re extremely powerful in many ways, but they can’t pivot quickly.”

    The researchers highlighted the system’s early identification of unauthorized disposable vape brand Geek Bar, which they correctly predicted would surpass Juul in sales by late 2025, as well as the rapid growth of nicotine pouches led by Zyn. The center also found that pouch users are predominantly adults with prior cigarette or other tobacco use, while emphasizing that continued surveillance is needed to monitor whether marketing begins attracting new youth users as the category expands.

    The center, which is in the fourth year of its five-year contract with the FDA and the National Cancer Institute, publishes regularly updated fact sheets on emerging brands on its website.

  • Bangladesh Banking on Technology to Fight Illicit Tobacco  

    Bangladesh Banking on Technology to Fight Illicit Tobacco  

    Bangladesh’s government unveiled a technology-driven strategy to combat illicit tobacco trade as part of its FY2026-27 budget, aiming to strengthen tax enforcement, protect government revenue, and support public health goals. Central to the plan is a comprehensive Track and Trace system that will use AI-enabled cameras, automated production counting devices, and QR or AR-coded tax stamps to monitor tobacco manufacturing and distribution in real time. Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said tobacco taxation remains a critical tool for both revenue generation and public health, with the new measures designed to create a more modern, transparent, and technology-based VAT system while reducing tax evasion across the tobacco supply chain.

    The proposal also includes a mobile app that allows the public to report illicit tobacco products directly to the National Board of Revenue, along with a whistleblower reward program to encourage reporting of smuggling and illegal sales. Additional measures include restricting cigarette and bidi paper imports to authorized manufacturers, imposing a 300% supplementary duty on cigarette filter materials and a 350% duty on nicotine granules and nicotine pouches, while raising minimum cigarette retail prices and setting maximum prices and excise duties for nicotine pouches and heated tobacco products. The government said the combined approach of digital monitoring, stronger enforcement, and higher tobacco taxes is intended to curb illicit trade, although estimates of Bangladesh’s illicit cigarette market vary widely, ranging from about 5.6% in an independent study to more than 18% according to industry estimates.

  • Study Says Vape Flavors Alter 3K Genes

    Study Says Vape Flavors Alter 3K Genes

    A study published in Frontiers in Oncology found that e-cigarette flavorings were associated with more than 3,000 changes in gene activity among adult vapers, with fruit flavors producing the greatest effects. Researchers analyzed oral cell samples from 35 vapers, 24 smokers, and 24 non-users, finding that fruit-flavored products were linked to changes in 3,124 genes across the genome compared with non-users. The researchers said the findings do not demonstrate that flavored vapes directly cause disease but suggest they may influence biological pathways associated with cancer, cardiovascular, immune, and respiratory conditions.

    The study found fruit flavors accounted for about 31% of the observed gene expression changes, compared with 2.9% for sweet flavors and 0.9% for mint or menthol, while users of multiple flavors exhibited the broadest changes. Researchers also found that more advanced vaping devices were associated with greater changes in gene activity. Despite the findings, the U.K.’s National Health Service continues to state that vaping exposes users to fewer toxins than smoking and remains an effective smoking-cessation aid for adult smokers, while emphasizing that vaping is not risk-free and should not be used by youth or non-smokers.

  • THR Needed for HIV Care, Researcher Says  

    THR Needed for HIV Care, Researcher Says  

    Dr. Jonathan Shuter, an infectious disease physician at Montefiore Einstein and professor of medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, said in an interview with TheBodyPro that smoking-related illnesses now kill more people living with HIV in the United States than the virus itself. He said smoking rates among people with HIV remain around 40% — far higher than in the general population — and that cessation programs have produced disappointing results, with only about one in five smokers successfully quitting.

    Shuter argued that clinicians should adopt a broader harm reduction approach that supports patients who reduce smoking even if they do not quit completely, while emphasizing lung cancer screening, cardiovascular risk management, and tailored interventions that address the different reasons people with HIV smoke. Shuter also said complete switching from cigarettes to vaping could reduce harm compared with smoking, but cautioned that dual use of cigarettes and e-cigarettes offers little health benefit and remains the more common pattern among people living with HIV.

  • Scandit Launches Automated, Age-Verified, Self-Checkout Solution

    Scandit Launches Automated, Age-Verified, Self-Checkout Solution

    Scandit announced the launch of its Age Verified Self-Checkout, a vision AI-powered age verification solution designed to automate purchases of age-restricted products, including tobacco and nicotine products, at self-checkout kiosks. The system enables customers to verify their age in under 10 seconds using a smartphone through facial age estimation or ID scanning, with no additional hardware or app required.

    Scandit said the technology can automatically complete about 80% of age checks, reducing staff intervention, improving compliance, and increasing self-checkout throughput while processing biometric and ID data entirely on the user’s device to meet privacy standards.

  • Tobacco-Free Pouches Are Not Milder Alternative for Mucosa: Study 

    Tobacco-Free Pouches Are Not Milder Alternative for Mucosa: Study 

    A clinical study by Folktandvården Stockholm and the Karolinska Institutet found that tobacco-free nicotine pouches and traditional tobacco-containing snus produce different oral mucosal reactions. While both products were associated with increased tissue thickening as use increased, nicotine pouch users more frequently exhibited inflammatory changes such as erythema and, in some cases, ulceration, making their effects less predictable than those seen with traditional snus.

    The study, which evaluated 272 adults aged 18–30, found no increased risk of cavities or periodontitis in either group over up to six years of use, but researchers said the findings highlight the need for further research into the oral health effects of nicotine pouches and different flavor formulations.

  • Survey Finds 95% Happy Moving from Cigarettes to Pouches

    Survey Finds 95% Happy Moving from Cigarettes to Pouches

    A growing number of UK consumers are turning to nicotine pouches as an alternative to cigarettes and e-cigarettes, according to Haypp’s fourth annual Nicotine Pouch Report. Based on a survey of more than 2,000 nicotine pouch users, the report found that 68% began using pouches to quit smoking, vaping, or both. Forty-three percent said they switched to quit smoking, 40% to quit vaping, and 15% were seeking to stop using both products.

    The survey found that users were primarily drawn to nicotine pouches because they perceived them as healthier (64%), more discreet (64%), and less likely to affect others (52%). Among respondents who switched from cigarettes, 95% reported feeling better after making the change, while 76% reported encouraging others to switch. The products are most commonly used at home (85%) and at work (79%), reflecting their discreet nature.

    Haypp said the findings suggest the UK nicotine market is shifting following the disposable vape ban and the implementation of the Tobacco and Vapes Act, and that the changing regulatory landscape is prompting more adult nicotine users to explore alternatives that do not involve inhalation.

  • Quitting Smoking Motivated Nearly Half of Pouch Users: Study

    Quitting Smoking Motivated Nearly Half of Pouch Users: Study

    Haypp Group, the parent company of Nicokick.com and Northerner.com, released its Nicotine Pouch and Oral Nicotine Report 2026, based on purchasing data from more than 172,000 customers and a survey of 2,245 adult nicotine pouch users. The report found that 46% of respondents said quitting smoking, vaping, or both was a reason they first tried nicotine pouches, while 88% had previously used another nicotine product before adopting pouches. The average age of a first-time online nicotine pouch purchaser was 45, and adults aged 55 to 64 represented the fastest-growing customer segment in 2025.

    The report also highlighted differences between online and physical retail channels. Among surveyed customers, 98% recalled completing age verification when purchasing online, compared with 75% for purchases made in physical stores. Respondents who reported obtaining nicotine pouches while underage most commonly cited local shops (52%), friends (23%), and supermarkets (10%), while only 5% reported obtaining them online. Haypp Group said sales through Nicokick.com and Northerner.com increased 22% in 2025 after adjusting for sales interruptions in certain states and supply constraints affecting leading brands. The company noted that the survey reflects the experiences of its own customers and is not intended to represent the broader U.S. nicotine pouch market.

  • Scientific Review Concludes Vaping ‘Likely’ Causes Cancer

    Scientific Review Concludes Vaping ‘Likely’ Causes Cancer

    A peer-reviewed report published in Carcinogenesis this week concluded that nicotine-based e-cigarettes are “likely” to cause lung and oral cancers, based on a synthesis of more than 100 studies covering animal experiments, chemical analyses, and human biomarker research. It said it has “reached the most unambiguous conclusion to date about the cancer risk posed by e-cigarettes: nicotine-based vapes are likely to cause cancers of the lung and oral cavity.”

    The paper was led by Adjunct Professor Bernard Stewart AM of University of New South Wales, with co-authors from several Australian institutions including the University of Queensland and University of Sydney. Rather than presenting new experimental data, the authors reinterpret existing literature to argue that converging biological and mechanistic evidence is already strong enough to support a causal cancer risk conclusion, even in the absence of long-term population mortality studies.

    However, the findings come from a synthesis paper, meaning conclusions depend heavily on which studies are included and how evidence is weighted, rather than new primary research.