Cigarettes with ultralow nicotine levels are now being called the game-changer in the fight against smoking. If you are having trouble in quitting smoking, then, it is for you, that soon the Biden White House is expected to formally propose a plan that will order cigarette nicotine levels to be reduced, reports The Washington Post. For now though, it has been a failure, as these cigarettes, also known as VLN cigarettes that stands for very low nicotine are only available in 5,100 stores in 26 states. This is a very small fraction of the overall market for cigarettes. The company that makes it, 22nd Century, is struggling not because of the low supply, but also from the advocates who have long believed slashing nicotine levels altogether.

The Advent and ideation

Nicotine is a chemical that is produced naturally from tobacco that makes the cigarette and also keeps people hooked. While it is believed that it makes people alert, and get the "hit" to keep them going, it exposes the users to harmful substances, carcinogens, and increases the risk of heart disease, lung cancer, and other illness.

Ultralow-nicotine cigarettes, like the VLN brand, contain about 95% less nicotine than the regular cigarettes. The idea is quite simple: without the addictive grip of nicotine, smokers will find it easier to quit. Research too has shown some promise. For instance, the studies funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse revealed that very low nicotine cigarettes reduced addiction potential significantly without having users to increase their smoking frequency. However, the problem is, why would anyone choose for a low-nicotine that does not make them feel the same way, when the high-nicotine cigarette is right next to it, making them feel the same way, with the same alertness, sold at the same price.

“It’s very hard to imagine someone actively choosing to continue to use a low-nicotine product for the same price when a high-nicotine product is right next to it,” said Eric Donny, a Wake Forest University School of Medicine nicotine researcher.

No wonder, the experiment with low nicotine product by Philip Morris' Next cigarettes in the 1980s and Vector Tobacco's Quest brand in the early 2000s, flopped.

FDA's Role in the Push

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has supported the development of such products, even allowing VLN cigarettes to be marketed as lower-risk options. However, these products remain a niche market, available in only a fraction of U.S. stores.

Recently, the Biden administration has considered a bold step—mandating a dramatic reduction in nicotine levels for all cigarettes sold in the United States. Supporters believe this move could save millions of lives, while critics, including tobacco companies, warn of potential unintended consequences.

What Could Be The Challenges?

Resistance from Big Tobacco Companies: They could argue that slashing nicotine levels could backfire. Their claim is, smokers will turn to black markets or smoke more to satisfy their cravings, which may lead to greater exposure to harmful substances.

Consumer Reluctance: History is proof to the instances of smokers being hesitant to embrace the low-nicotine products.

Political Hurdle: It may face political roadblocks, as under the Trump administration, plans to cut nicotine were shelved.

Could Low-Nicotine Cigarettes Be The Solution?

Advocates believe that ultralow-nicotine cigarettes could be a game-changer, comparing them to decaf coffee or non-alcoholic beer—products that reduce harm while offering a similar experience.

Some experts warn that a black market for traditional cigarettes could undermine these efforts. They also stress the need for safer alternatives, such as vaping products, to support smokers transitioning away from traditional cigarettes.

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at changing childhood vaccine recommendations, including moving toward separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into individual shots.

The executive order, titled “Delivering Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations for Americans,” has sparked debate over how childhood vaccines should be administered and whether combination vaccines should instead be given separately.

Amid criticism of the move, HealthandMe spoke to public health experts to understand whether splitting the MMR vaccine offers any proven health benefit and what it could mean for children and vaccination coverage.

What Does Splitting MMR Mean?

Dr. Sabine Kapasi, Global Health Strategist and a UN Advisor, told HealthandMe that combination vaccines are more than a matter of convenience.

“Combination vaccines are not simply a matter of convenience. They can reduce the number of injections and healthcare visits required, support timely vaccination and help health systems reach children who may otherwise be missed,” she said.

“The more fragmented the pathway becomes, the more important it is to understand its impact on uptake, completion and equity,” Dr. Sabine added.

Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, former President of IMA Cochin and Convener of the Research Cell, Kerala, also highlighted the practical disadvantage of requiring parents to make additional clinic visits when vaccines that can be administered together are separated.

Is Splitting MMR Healthier?

There is currently no adequate scientific validation for the argument that giving the MMR components separately is inherently healthier, according to Dr. Rajeev.

“The argument that splitting the shots is a healthier option does not have adequate scientific validation, because the body’s immune system routinely encounters numerous antigens simultaneously and effectively in everyday life,” he told HealthandMe.

Dr. Sabine emphasized that any change to childhood immunization policy should be based on evidence rather than simply altering an established schedule.

“Any change to childhood immunization policy should therefore be grounded in transparent evidence, rigorous safety and effectiveness assessment, and real-world data on vaccination coverage and completion,” she added.

Could More Vaccine Visits Increase Hesitancy?

Separating combination vaccines could make vaccination more cumbersome for families by requiring additional visits.

Dr. Sabine said vaccination programs operate within different health systems, meaning even small changes in scheduling can have implications for access, logistics, costs and continuity of care.

“The priority should remain consistent: designing immunization systems that are evidence-led, accessible and resilient enough to protect children across populations—not simply changing the schedule for the sake of changing it,” she said.

In a post on X US Senator Bill Cassidy, a physician, also criticized the executive order and warned that breaking up combination vaccines could mean children need more shots to receive the same protection.

“It will increase hesitancy and make children less safe,” he said, urging parents to discuss vaccination decisions with their child’s pediatrician.

Former White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha said European countries do not routinely split the MMR vaccine into three separate shots. “No European country splits the MMR vaccine as 3 separate shots,” he said in a post on X.

He added that Russia and Tajikistan were historical partial exceptions but have since moved to full MMR vaccination.

Are There Any Potential Advantages?

Dr. Rajeev said one potential advantage of the new approach is the separation of vaccines into essential and optional categories.

He said this could give parents greater clarity about which vaccines are considered the highest priority and potentially help address some forms of vaccine hesitancy. The expert also pointed to US policy around childhood COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, saying that making these vaccines a shared decision between doctors and parents could be viewed as a progressive step.

For years, people living with Long COVID have described a strange combination of symptoms: severe fatigue, brain fog, memory problems, slowed thinking and a loss of motivation. Researchers may have found an important clue behind at least some of these brain symptoms.

A new study published in eBioMedicine found that people with Long COVID had 16% to 20% lower markers of dopamine nerve endings in key regions of the brain, with the average reduction of around 18%.

The findings suggest that the brain's dopamine system may be affected long after the initial COVID-19 infection has passed.

What Are The Study's Findings?

Researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the University of Toronto used PET brain scans to examine 24 adults with Long COVID and 24 healthy, age-matched individuals.

They focused on VMAT2, a protein found in nerve terminals that release dopamine. VMAT2 stores and packages dopamine inside nerve cells. Lower VMAT2 on the scans indicated reduced dopamine nerve-terminal density. However, it does not prove that dopamine neurons have permanently died.

The reductions appeared across three important regions of the striatum, which is involved in motivation, movement and thinking. Lower dopamine markers in the ventral striatum were associated with reduced motivation. Changes in the putamen were linked with slower movement, while changes in the caudate were associated with memory difficulties.

Also read: Can Long COVID Be Prevented Before It Starts? Study Suggests Early Paxlovid May Help

The Dopamine Factor

When dopamine production is disrupted, people can experience problems that go far beyond mood swings or low motivation.

The changes were also detected in people who had been living with Long COVID for as long as 4.6 years. This could help explain why some Long COVID patients report that even simple tasks feel unusually difficult or that they struggle to find the motivation to do things they previously enjoyed.

Long COVID is already known to involve a wide range of neurological symptoms, including fatigue, headaches, cognitive problems, anxiety and depression.

A 2026 review in Nature Reviews Neurology noted that approximately 6% of people who have experienced acute COVID-19 may develop this post-COVID condition.

Also read: Are Women More Likely To Experience More Severe Neurological Symptoms Of Long COVID Than Men? New Study Finds

Scope Of Treatment

The study does not mean that people with Long COVID have Parkinson's disease, nor does it establish that dopamine loss causes all Long COVID symptoms. The researchers also acknowledge that the study was small and that the findings show an association rather than proving cause and effect.

Still researchers say that the findings suggest that medications which enhance dopamine function, including dopamine precursors and drugs that reduce dopamine breakdown, could be investigated as potential treatments. They plan to launch a clinical trial targeting dopamine function in people with Long COVID.

More About Long COVID

Long COVID is a debilitating condition that can persist for months or even years after a SARS-CoV-2 infection. Long COVID is an infection-associated chronic condition marked by fatigue, cognitive impairment, exercise intolerance, and multisystem dysfunction.

It has affected an estimated 400 million people worldwide and continues to have significant health, social, and economic consequences. Despite the ongoing risk, prevention strategies have received relatively little attention.

Dry or burning eyes are often brushed aside as side effect of ageing. But new research suggests that for postmenopausal women, the problem may be more than just eye irritation.

A recent study in Post Reproductive Health found that postmenopausal women had more severe signs of dry eye disease (DED) than both younger women and men in the same age range.

Researchers say the condition is caused largely by tear-film instability and dysfunction of the meibomian glands, the tiny glands in the eyelids that produce the oily layer of tears.

The study included 319 participants: 102 postmenopausal women, 105 age-matched men and 112 younger healthy women.

Researchers assessed symptoms, tear production, tear-film stability, damage to the eye surface and meibomian gland function.

Postmenopausal women had the highest rate of severe dry eye, affecting 24.5%, compared with 16.2% of age-matched men and 18.8% of younger women.

They also had higher scores for dry-eye symptoms, more straining of the of the ocular-surface, shorter tear-break-up time and greater meibomian gland dysfunction. 20.6% of postmenopausal women reported burning.

Effect Of Menopause On Eye Health

Also read: Experimental Menopause Drug Shows Promise Mid-Stage Trial, Reduces Hot Flashes By 83%

The connection between eyes and menopause lies in the significant hormonal changes women face as they enter menopause.

The ocular surface, lacrimal glands and meibomian glands are affected by sex hormones, including oestrogen and androgens. When hormone levels change during and after menopause, these tissues may also function differently.

One of the important consequences of menopausal hormonal shifts is the disruption of the tear film. The tear film is like a thin protective coating over the eye. It contains an oily outer layer that slows evaporation. The meibomian glands produce this oil.

When these glands do not work properly, tears can evaporate too quickly. Doctors call this condition evaporative dry eye.

Dry Eye Does Not Mean The Eyes Have Stopped Producing Tears

Also read: Post-Menopausal Women Face A Higher Risk Of Fatty Liver Disease: How Falling Oestrogen Levels Impact Liver Health

Dry eye does not necessarily mean the eyes have stopped producing tears. In many postmenopausal women, the tears may not remain stable on the eye for a long time.

As the oily layer becomes impaired, tears evaporate faster. This can increase tear concentration, trigger inflammation and damage the ocular surface, creating a cycle of dryness and irritation.

Hormonal changes during menopause may contribute to this process, although researchers are still working to understand exactly how individual hormones influence dry eye.

A 2026 review also highlights increasing evidence that hormonal changes may interact with immune and inflammatory pathways on the ocular surface, rather than simply reducing tear production.

What Symptoms Should Postmenopausal Women Watch For?

Persistent burning, itching, grittiness, redness, light sensitivity, watery eyes or fluctuating vision can all occur with dry eye disease.

The latest study also found that clinical signs of disease were more severe in postmenopausal women even though symptom scores did not always differ significantly from other groups. This finding makes eye examinations particularly important during and after menopause.

The researchers concluded that recognising these differences could improve diagnosis and help doctors better understand the hormonal contribution to dry eye disease.