AME News

Photo compliments of BBC News.

A Havard University team believes that menthol is added to cigarettes to make the tobacco smoke less harsh, which gives new smokers more nicotine. Apparently, U.S. firms led tests to determine which age groups found menthol more appealing than regular cigarettes.

A “leading tobacco firm” denied these accusations that tobacco firms are product targeting, however, anti-smoking groups are not buying it. However, they have confirmed this menthol product targeting has not yet occurred in the UK.

A study, which consisted of a survey of U.S. smokers in 2006 found that significantly more teenagers and young adults preferred menthol cigarettes over non-menthols. 43.8% of smokers between 12 and 17 years of age and 35.6% of smokers between the ages of 18 and 24 year all reported smoking menthol cigarettes. This study was published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2006.

According to Professor Howard Koh of Harvard University, “For decades, the tobacco industry has carefully manipulated menthol content not only to lure youth but also to lock in lifelong adult customers” (BBC News).

A spokesman for Phillip Morris USA, the manufacturer of Marlboro cigarettes, denied these accusations. He is quoted saying, “We disagree with the authors’ conclusion that menthol levels in our products were manipulated to gain market share among adolescents - and are unable to find evidence supporting that conclusion within the study. The company’s various brands, including our menthol brands, are designed to meet the diverse taste preferences of adults who smoke.”

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Photo provided by sciencedaily.com

Tilapia is mainly a freshwater fish that has been gaining massive popularity in America among seafood choices. Many choose to eat tilapia because they want to increase their consumption of fish and describe tilapia as not having the “ocean” or “fishy” taste that other seafood has. Unfortunately, almost all tilapia that is consumed in the United States is farm-raised and this popularity trend is not slowing down. Consumption of tilapia in the United States in 2003 was 1.5 million tons and by 2010 consumption is projected to increase to 2.5 million tons, according to Wake Forest University School of Medicine researchers. So you may be asking yourself, whats the big deal with this fish?

Generally, the vast majority of us are told that our diets do not consist of enough omega-3 fatty acids and the best way to get them is through fish. Although most fish do contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, tilapia does not. Not only does tilapia contain very low levels of this essential nutrient, it contains very high levels of omega-6 fatty acids. Consumption of foods high in omega-6 fatty acids are known to be associated with heart attacks, thrombotic stroke, arrhythmia, arthritis, osteoporosis, inflammation, mood disorders and cancer. Sciencedaily.com reports that “tilapia has higher levels of potentially detrimental long-chain omega-6 fatty acids than 80-percent-lean hamburger, doughnuts and even pork bacon.” Yikes!

The researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine report that this could be a potentially dangerous mix with individuals who suffer from certain medical conditions. Tilapia certainly isn’t good for anyone, but those with heart disease, arthritis, asthma and other allergic and auto-immune diseases need to be particularly careful and avoid tilapia!

Read the full article here.