Smokers who make the decision to quit will experience immediate health benefits, including a rapid reduction in their risk of atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), according to new research published in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology. The study, conducted by Dr. Gregory Marcus, a cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, offers compelling evidence for smokers to quit, showing that it’s never too late to avoid the damaging effects of smoking on heart health.

Dr. Marcus, the senior author of the study, emphasized that A-Fib can be prevented even in individuals who have smoked for years. "The findings provide a compelling new reason to show current smokers that it’s not too late to quit, and that having smoked in the past doesn’t mean you’re ‘destined’ to develop A-Fib," Marcus explained. "Even for the current and longtime smoker, A-Fib can still be avoided."

What is Atrial Fibrillation (A-Fib)?

"There’s strong evidence that smoking increases the risk of A-Fib," Marcus said. "But the benefits of quitting smoking have been less certain." With this in mind, his team sought to determine whether quitting could significantly lower a person’s risk of developing A-Fib, or if the risk would remain the same.

The research team analyzed data from over 146,700 current and former smokers, tracking their smoking habits and health over a 12-year period using data from the UK Biobank database. The results were promising: former smokers had a 13% lower risk of developing A-Fib compared to current smokers, while those who quit during the study saw an 18% reduction in their risk.

"This is likely a testament to the potency of reducing atrial fibrillation risk pretty shortly after quitting," Marcus said in a statement from the American College of Cardiology.

The findings highlight the importance of quitting smoking, not only for general health but specifically for reducing the risk of serious heart conditions like A-Fib.

Tips for Quitting Smoking

Quitting smoking is one of the most effective ways to lower the risk of A-Fib and improve overall heart health. While it can be challenging, the benefits of quitting are clear and immediate. Here are some tips to help you quit smoking successfully:

1. Choose a specific date to quit smoking and stick to it. Prepare yourself mentally and physically for this change.

2. Reach out to family, friends, or a support group to help keep you accountable. Sharing your goals with others can provide encouragement.

3. Options like nicotine patches, gum, or lozenges can help ease withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings.

4. Identify situations that make you want to smoke, such as stress or social gatherings, and find healthy ways to cope with them.

5. Regular exercise can help distract you from cravings and improve your mood during the quitting process.

6. Drinking water can help flush nicotine out of your system faster, reducing cravings.

7. Activities like yoga, meditation, or deep breathing exercises can help manage stress, a common trigger for smoking.

Quitting smoking offers immediate and significant benefits, particularly in reducing the risk of atrial fibrillation. The latest research provides smokers with more motivation to quit, showing that it's never too late to take control of their heart health.

Nearly 4 in 10 US high school students reported binge eating at least once in the previous 30 days in 2025, according to a new survey by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The biennial Youth Risk Behavior Survey found that 40.5% of students reported binge eating on at least one day, while 17.2% reported it on three or more days. Frequent binge eating was more common among female students (18.6%) than male students (15.9%).

Binge Eating Linked to Poor Mental Health

The survey was conducted among 10,710 students in grades 9–12. However, valid responses to the binge-eating question were available for 6,898 students.

Students reporting poor mental health were more likely to report binge eating on three or more days in the previous 30 days than those who did not report poor mental health (27.2% versus 14%).

The prevalence was also higher among students reporting persistent sadness or hopelessness (25.4% versus 12.8%) and those who had seriously considered attempting suicide (27.1% versus 15.3%).

Previous research has linked binge eating with depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts. However, the CDC noted that its cross-sectional findings cannot establish cause and effect or determine which condition came first.

“It was extremely alarming seeing how high those numbers were,” Ariel Beccia, a researcher in the adolescent and children’s medicine division at Boston Children’s Hospital, told STAT News.

“Eating disorders not only affect everyone, they also affect marginalized youth more, actually,” Beccia said.

Frequent Social Media Use Also Linked to Binge Eating

Students who used social media at least hourly were more likely to report binge eating on three or more days than those who used it once a day or less (22.8% versus 12.9%).

Exposure to appearance- and diet-related content, comparisons with others and idealized body standards have been proposed as possible pathways linking social media use to body dissatisfaction and binge eating. However, the survey measured how frequently students used social media, not the content they viewed, and cannot establish that social media use causes binge eating.

Differences Across Student Groups

Frequent binge eating was reported by 20.5% of Hispanic students and 18.7% of Black students, compared with 14.6% of White students. The prevalence was 19.6% among multiracial students and 9.9% among Middle Eastern or North African students.

The CDC cautioned that the estimate for Middle Eastern or North African students was imprecise because of the small sample size. These figures refer to binge eating on three or more days in the previous 30 days.

The findings highlight the need for continued monitoring of disordered eating among adolescents, along with prevention, early identification and access to appropriate support. The CDC said schools, families, health care providers and mental health professionals could play a role in these efforts.

What Is Binge Eating?

Binge eating involves consuming an unusually large amount of food in a short period while feeling a loss of control over eating. It is a form of disordered eating, but it does not necessarily meet the criteria for a diagnosis of binge-eating disorder.

Signs and symptoms of binge-eating disorder may include:

• Eating until uncomfortably full
• Eating more quickly than usual
• Eating despite not feeling hungry
• Turning to food during stress or emotional distress
• Eating alone out of embarrassment
• Experiencing guilt, shame or a sense of losing control over eating

How Is Binge Eating Treated?

Treatment may include psychotherapy (talk therapy), such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and interpersonal psychotherapy (IPT). Depending on individual needs, treatment may also involve medication and nutritional counseling.

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has introduced new measures to improve how the risks of suicidal thoughts and behaviors and persistent sexual dysfunction are communicated to people taking antidepressants.

Following a review involving patients and their families, the MHRA will introduce a boxed warning in patient information leaflets (PILs), a patient safety card, and an additional safety leaflet. The term “post-SSRI sexual dysfunction” (PSSD) will also be added to the leaflets for certain antidepressants.

“Patients need clear and accessible information about the benefits and risks of medicines so they can make informed decisions,” Dr. Alison Cave, MHRA chief safety officer, said.

She said the changes would support informed discussions among patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals. Dr. Cave added that antidepressants can effectively treat depression when used appropriately and under clinical supervision. Patients should not stop taking these medicines without first consulting their healthcare professional.

What Are the New Antidepressant Warnings?

Also read: GLP-1 Drugs May Offer Mental Health Benefits, Reduce Schizophrenia Relapses: Lancet Study

Patient information leaflets will feature a boxed warning directing readers to information about suicidal thoughts and behaviors, making the guidance easier to find.

A patient safety card is expected to accompany medicine packaging, reinforcing key safety messages and explaining when and how to seek support.

For certain antidepressants, updated leaflets will include information on PSSD, highlighting the possibility that sexual dysfunction may persist after treatment ends.

The MHRA is also developing an additional safety leaflet with the wider healthcare system. Expected in 2027, it will explain the benefits and risks of antidepressant treatment to support informed decisions. It will be given to patients at their first appointment discussing antidepressants and to those already receiving treatment.

Concerns Over SSRI Safety Warnings

The MHRA has received four prevention of future deaths reports since 2020 concerning antidepressant prescribing and safety information. One followed the 2024 death by suicide of Thomas Kingston, husband of Lady Gabriella Kingston, at age 45.

An inquest heard that Kingston had been prescribed sertraline and later switched to citalopram after reporting that his medication was not helping. Both are selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). He had also received the sleeping tablet zopiclone for sleep difficulties and had stopped taking his medication before his death.

Gloucestershire senior coroner Katy Skerrett questioned whether patients were adequately informed about the suicide risks associated with SSRIs. Kingston’s parents called for clearer communication of potential side effects to patients and their families.

Read More: AI Chatbots May Be Changing How Children Seek Emotional Support

What Should Healthcare Professionals Do?

The MHRA advises healthcare professionals to:

• Discuss the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors when starting antidepressants, changing doses, and during subsequent reviews.
• Explain that some antidepressants can cause sexual dysfunction that may continue after treatment stops.
• Follow relevant National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance and monitor patients regularly after treatment begins.
• Provide the additional safety leaflet when it becomes available in 2027.
• Report suspected adverse reactions through the MHRA’s Yellow Card scheme.

What Should Patients Taking Antidepressants Know?

Patients experiencing new or worsening suicidal thoughts should seek urgent medical attention, particularly when starting treatment or changing their dose. In the UK, they can contact NHS 111, their local mental health crisis team, Samaritans on 116 123, or the SHOUT text service at 85258.

Anyone concerned about sexual dysfunction during or after antidepressant treatment should contact their healthcare professional.

The MHRA said these are not new risks associated with the medicines. Patients should read the information supplied with their medication and consult their healthcare professional before stopping treatment.

Lead poisoning is a widespread but preventable health threat that contributes to more than 3.5 million deaths globally each year and puts hundreds of millions of children at risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Marking International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week 2026, WHO urged countries to accelerate prevention efforts amid growing global momentum to tackle lead exposure.

Why Is Lead Dangerous for Children?

Also read: Lead Found In Everyday Vegetables - Reveals A Bengaluru Study

Children are particularly vulnerable to lead because their developing brains and nervous systems are highly susceptible to its toxic effects. Even low levels of exposure can cause irreversible harm, affecting learning, behavior and development.

“Lead poisoning should not be stealing children's potential in 2026,” said Bruce Gordon, Director a.i. of WHO’s Department of Environment, Climate Change, One Health and Migration.

“We know where many exposures come from and we know how to prevent them. Countries now need to move upstream, removing lead from products and environments before it reaches a child's bloodstream. WHO is working with governments and partners to help turn that evidence into action,” Gordon added.

How Does Lead Poisoning Occur?

There is no known safe level of lead exposure, WHO warned. Exposure can occur through paint, cookware, cosmetics, spices, informal recycling and industrial contamination, among other sources.

Lead affects multiple organs and can contribute to cardiovascular and kidney disease in adults. In children, exposure can cause lasting damage to brain function and development. Its effects may go undetected until significant harm has occurred.

Lead is distributed to the brain, liver, kidney and bones. It is stored in the teeth and bones, where it can accumulate over time. Human exposure is assessed through the measurement of lead in blood.

WHO Plans Global Action On Lead Exposure

Fewer than half of countries had confirmed legally binding controls on lead paint, according to WHO's latest published global assessment.

This year's International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week theme, “From Detection to Prevention,” highlights the need for stronger policies, better enforcement of safety standards and greater public awareness to eliminate lead hazards at their source.

WHO Member States have recognized lead exposure as a pressing public health concern and mandated the development of a Global Action Plan on Lead Mitigation, which will be presented to the World Health Assembly in 2027.

The WHO will also launch the PREVENT Technical Package on Lead Poisoning Prevention in 2027. It will provide practical guidance to help countries identify major exposure sources, prioritize interventions, strengthen regulations and track progress.

Last year, WHO joined partners in the Lead Poisoning Prevention Initiative to strengthen laboratory capacity for blood lead testing, supporting the monitoring and early detection of exposure.

The initiative will provide technical support and build laboratory capacity in Brazil, five states in India, Nepal and six sub-Saharan African countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa and the United Republic of Tanzania.

WHO Calls for Stronger Prevention Measures

Preventing lead exposure can also reduce health care costs, improve educational outcomes and support healthier, more productive societies.

The WHO urged countries to move beyond detecting lead exposure and adopt comprehensive prevention strategies such as:

• Eliminating lead hazards from products and environments.
• Strengthening regulations and enforcement.
• Improving monitoring and surveillance of lead exposure.
• Strengthening capacity to manage lead poisoning cases.
• Raising public awareness about exposure sources and prevention.
• Promoting safer industrial practices and waste management.
• Prioritizing children and other vulnerable populations.