New report links smoking to more cancers, diseases

Fifty years ago, the U.S. Surgeon General issued a report that sounded the alarm about smoking.

Now, the surgeon general's office and the Centers for Disease Control have taken a big look at recent studies, and have released another report, linking smoking to many more cancers and diseases than commonly thought.

The New York Times reports:

The new report greatly expands the list of disorders now known to be causally linked to smoking to include age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, tuberculosis, erectile dysfunction, cleft palate, ectopic pregnancy, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammation and impaired immune function. Exposure to secondhand smoke is now deemed a cause of stroke.

Dr. Jon Hallberg, All Things Considered's regular medical analyst and a physician in family medicine at the University of Minnesota, joined MPR News' Tom Crann to talk about the new study. Click the audio link above to hear the conversation.