Earlier this month, the Surgeon General released a new report on smoking and health, marking the health agencys 50th anniversary for when it first linked smoking to health concerns. The Nations Doctor is now correlating even more dire consequences to the addiction that will likely push more employers to incorporate smoking cessation initiatives into wellness programs in order to curb health risks and boost employee productivity.
One of the main findings is that smoking is causally linked to numerous health consequences beyond lung cancer and respiratory diseases. New conditions to spring up in this report include chronic diseases such as age-related macular degenerations, diabetes, congenital defects, rheumatoid arthritis, immune functions and pregnancy-related ailments. Also liver and colorectal cancers are now connected to the long list associated with smoking.
