1/2/2006 London, England staff Daily Mail (www.dailymail.co.uk) We all know the scary headlines - smoking causes lung disease, stroke, oral cancer and heart disease. That's probably why you want to quit but you've known all those risks for months - if not years - already, so will that alone make a difference? The fact is smoking is responsible for a whole range of conditions - from extra wrinkles to fertility - that you probably didn't even know about. Here we highlight these lesser known facts in our print-and-keep guide. Have it by your side at all times and read any time you think of having a smoke. Hopefully it will give you the resolve you need... Smoking - the lesser known facts -Every cigarette takes 11 minutes off your life. -Smokers in their 40s have as many facial wrinkles as non-smokers in their 60s. -In Britain, one person is diagnosed with lung cancer - the cancer most commonly associated with smoking - every 15 minutes. -114,000 people die every year from smoking. That's 312 every day. -Smoking gives you yellow teeth, bad breath and hollow cheeks from repeated sucking on cigarettes. -Around half of all regular smokers will eventually be killed by their habit. -Female smokers have a 30 per cent lower fertility rate than non-smokers. -Male smokers are 50 per cent more likely to be impotent. -Around 450 children start smoking every day. -Men who smoke around their pregnant partner can significantly harm their unborn child. -Women who smoke [...]

1/2/2006 California Christian Nordqvist Medical News Today (www.medicalnewstoday.com) If you want to lower your chances of developing cancer you should increase your intake of vitamin D, say researchers from the University of California. High vitamin D intake is associated with significantly lower risks of developing cancer of the colon, ovary and breast, say the researchers. The team, led by Dr C Garland, looked at 63 different studies dating from 1966 to 2004. Their conclusion is that the link is too strong to ignore. They even went as far as to say that nothing else protects you from cancer so effectively. You can read about this study in the American Journal of Public Health. The researchers say an enormous number of cancers can be attributed to not enough vitamin D. The best source of vitamin D is sunlight. If you do not have access to sunlight all year round, as is the case in many northern countries, the researchers advise taking a supplement - raising your intake to 1000 IUs (international units) per day.