Heavy smokers and drinkers develop Alzheimer’s years before people who don’t drink or smoke as much, a new report says. The study, presented Wednesday at the American Academy of Neurology meeting in Chicago, suggests heavy drinking and smoking might be accelerating damage to the brain, which could lead to Alzheimer’s. But the flip side of the study is a message of hope: People who... 

Three independent teams of researchers have found genes that may explain why some smokers get cancer and others do not, and why some people who never smoke also get the disease. Investigators say the discoveries could lead to better ways to prevent and treat one of the most lethal forms of cancer. The teams in the United States, France and Iceland scoured the DNA of thousands of white smokers and... 

NEW DELHI: Employees found smoking in their offices could soon cost organisations dear. In yet another attempt to deter people from lighting up in public and reduce the risk of passive smoking, the Union Health Ministry is now planning to put the onus on organisations which allow its employees to smoke within its premises. The ministry is planning a steep increase in the penalty for smoking in public...