Smokers are 41 percent more likely to suffer from depression than nonsmokers, according to a new study. Research conducted by scientists at the University of Navarra in collaboration with the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and the Harvard School of Public Health found a direct correlation between tobacco use and the development of depression.
The director of the project and chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Prof. Miguel Angel Martinez-Gonzalez, explained that over a six-year period 190 smokers around the age of 42 who didn’t present symptoms of depression at the beginning of the study were diagnosed with the illness, while 65 admitted to taking antidepressants.
Among the mechanisms at work, he said, is a “genetic and/or environmental disposition, which will increase the probability that the tobacco habit is retained and that the user will suffer depression as an independent issue.”
In addition, the findings indicated that those who’d given up tobacco more than a decade previously had less risk of developing depression than nonsmokers.
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Life Expectancy Decline
Analysis of mortality patterns across the United States indicates a stagnant or falling life expectancy for many parts of the American population. A study conducted by researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health; Harvard University; the University of California, San Francisco; and the University of Washington in Seattle found that wide disparities in life expectancy continue to exist in the U.S., affecting 4 percent of the male and 19 percent of the female population.
The report attributed the statistics mainly to a leveling-off, among both men and women, in the reduction of deaths due to cardiovascular disease and a rise in deaths from other diseases, such as lung cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease.
Lead author Majid Ezzati, associate professor of international health at the Harvard School of Public Health, said, “There is now evidence that there are large parts of the population in the United States whose health has been getting worse for about two decades.”
—Dr. Bob Goldman
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Dr. Robert M. Goldman MD, PhD, DO, FAASP has spearheaded the development of numerous international medical organizations and corporations. Dr. Goldman has served as a Senior Fellow at the Lincoln Filene Center, Tufts University; as an Affiliate at the Philosophy of Education Research Center, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University, He is Clinical Consultant, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Korea Medical University; and Professor, Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Central America Health Sciences, Department of Internal Medicine. Dr. Goldman holds the positions of Visiting Professor, Udayana University School of Medicine, Indonesia; Visiting Professor, Huazhong University of Science & Technology Tong Ji Medical School, China; Visiting Professor, The Wuhan Institute of Science & Technology, China; Visiting Professor at Hainan Medical College, China; and Visiting Professor, School of Anti-Aging, Aesthetics and Regenerative Medicine, UCSI University, Malaysia. Dr. Goldman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sports Physicians and a Board Diplomat in Sports Medicine and Board Certified in Anti-Aging Medicine. Dr. Goldman is a Fellow of the American Academy of Sports Physicians and a Board Diplomat in Sports Medicine and Board Certified in Anti-Aging Medicine. He has overseen cooperative research agreement development programs in conjunction with such prominent institutions as the American National Red Cross, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Defense, and the FDA’s Center for Devices & Radiological Health.
Dr Goldman was awarded the 2012 LifeTime Achievement Award in Medicine &Science. Dr. Goldman is the recipient of the ‘Gold Medal for Science, the Grand Prize for Medicine, the Humanitarian Award, and the Business Development Award. He received honors from Minister of Sports and government Health officials of numerous nations. In 2001, Excellency Juan Antonio Samaranch awarded Dr. Goldman the International Olympic Committee Tribute Diploma for contributions to the development of sport & Olympism.
In addition, Dr. Goldman is a black belt in karate, Chinese weapons expert, and world champion athlete with over 20 world strength records, he has been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. Some of his past performance records include 13,500 consecutive situps and 321 consecutive handstand pushups. Dr. Goldman was an All-College athlete in four sports, a three time winner of the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Physical Fitness Award, was voted Athlete of the Year, was the recipient of the Champions Award, and was inducted into the World Hall of Fame of Physical Fitness. Dr. Goldman was awarded the Healthy American Fitness Leader Award from the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports and U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Dr. Goldman is Chairman of the International Medical Commission overseeing sports medicine committees in over 184 nations. He has served as a Special Advisor to the President’s Council on Physical Fitness & Sports. He is founder and international President Emeritis of the National Academy of Sports Medicine and the cofounder and Chairman of the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine (A4M). Dr. Goldman visits an average of 20 countries annually to promote brain research and sports medicine programs.
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