Seven new health studies that will change the way you live

1. Light smoking has heavy consequences

Do you enjoy lighting up only when out socially drinking with friends? Well, it is just as bad as the other guy who smokes like a chimney. Light smoking is associated with lung function decline rated at 68 per cent of the rate measured among that of heavy smokers. Study shows that even light smokers could lose about as much lung function in a year as a heavy smoker could, in nine months.

In Kenya, smoking habits have been on the rise and as the World Health Organisation study shows, about 69 per 100,000 deaths for individuals aged 30 and above result from smoking. Of all non-communicable disease deaths in Kenya, five per cent result from smoking. The study also says that 55 per cent of all deaths from cancers of the trachea, bronchitis, and lung are attributable to smoking.