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The American Lung Association has identified water-pipe smoking (WPS) of tobacco as “an emerging deadly trend.” Common for centuries in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, WPS recently has gained popularity in western nations, particularly among college students and young professionals. Two new studies add to our very limited knowledge about its physiological effects.
In a meta-analysis, researchers combined data from six studies of habitual water-pipe smokers, cigarette smokers, and nonsmokers. Compared with nonsmokers, water-pipe smokers exhibited significantly lower percent-predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1; 4% lower) and nearly significantly lower percent-predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) and FEV1/FVC (1.4% and 3.1…