Smoking is bad for lungs in general.

Cigarettes are highly addictive.

China Endorsing Tobacco in Schools Adds to $10 Trillion Cost - Bloomberg

China Endorsing Tobacco in Schools Adds to $10 Trillion Cost - Bloomberg:



“On the gates of these schools, you’ll see slogans that say ‘Genius comes from hard work -- Tobacco helps you become talented,’” said Xu Guihua, secretary general of the privately funded lobby groupChinese Association on Tobacco Control. The schools are sponsored by local units of China’s government-owned monopoly cigarette maker. “They are pinning their hopes on young people taking up smoking.”

China has more than 320 million smokers, a third of the world’s total, and about 1 million Chinese die from tobacco- related illnesses every year. Reducing mortality in the country from cardiovascular diseases, for which smoking is a main risk factor, by 1 percent a year over the three decades to 2040 could generate economic value equal to 68 percent of China’s 2010 real gross domestic product, or $10.7 trillion, according to a World Bank report published in July.

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Sugar Blues Sugar provides 20% of calories Canadians consume

Sugar provides 20% of calories Canadians consume - Health - CBC News:

Beverages among top sources of sugar

CBC News 

Posted: Sep 21, 2011 9:33 AM ET 

Last Updated: Sep 21, 2011

Canadians get about 20 per cent of their calories from sugar, according to a new report.

Statistics Canada reported on sugar consumption of Canadians of all ages on Wednesday.

"The sugar that Canadians consume accounts for 21 per cent of their daily calories," Kellie Langlois and Didier Garriguet of Statistics Canada in Ottawa concluded. "Beverages are among the top sources of sugar."

The sweetener may occur naturally in fruit and milk or be added to foods and drinks.

Since the report didn't distinguish between naturally occurring and added sugars, it isn't possible to compare how much sugar Canadians take in to guidelines from the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine, the report's authors noted.

The Institute of Medicine recommends that no more than 25 per cent of total calories come from added sugars. The World Health Organization recommends a daily maximum of 10 per cent of calories from free sugars.

Sugar consumption was lowest among women aged 71 and over, at 20 teaspoons, and highest among teenage boys aged 14 to 18, at 41 teaspoons.

This study reported daily intake of sugar by food group and by the top 10 sources.

For example, the top five sources of sugar intake for Canadians age 9 to 18 were:

• Soft drinks: regular 14.3%.
• Milk: 14.0%.
• Fruit: 10.6%.
• Confectionery: 10.3%.
• Fruit juice: 9.1%.

The Canadian Sugar Institute said it was pleased that the report will help dispel "misinformation" regarding Canadian consumption patterns.

"In terms of how other countries are doing, we look to be about the same," Langlois said.

On average, Canadians consumed 110 grams of sugar a day, the equivalent of 26 teaspoons.

Overall, 35 per cent of the sugar that Canadians consumed came from the "other" foods category. The percentage peaked at 46 per cent among teenage boys.