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TOKYO, Jan 18, 2005 (United Press International via COMTEX) -- A government study has found that Japanese middle-aged and elderly men who are heavy smokers are more likely to commit suicide.
Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare investigated the habits of some 45,000 men aged 40 to 69 in 1990 and 1993. Researchers did another survey in 2000 on the relationship between smoking habits and suicide.
The research showed 173 people committed suicide during the study period and 108 of those were smokers.
The suicide rate of those who smoked between 30 and 39 cigarettes a day was 1.4 times higher than for people who smoked 20 or fewer cigarettes daily, while much heavier smokers had a 1.7 times higher suicide rate, Mainichi Shimbun reported Tuesday.
Motoki Iwasaki, a scientist at the Epidemiology and Prevention Division of the National Cancer Center, said that nicotine dependency was believed to increase the risk of depression.
Copyright 2005 by United Press International.
