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So you think it is safe to combine diet soda and alcohol to cut calories? Think again, the combination will lead to intoxication and possible risky behavior (i.e., drunk driving). The recent findings conducted by Dr. Cecile Marczinski of Northern Kentucky University and Dr. Dennis Thombs, University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth reveal how sugar slows down the absorption of alcohol from the stomach to the bloodstream.

Young teens seem to be more vulnerable with persuasive messages in television alcohol advertisements. According to HealthDay, the ads influence some young teens to drink more and experience drinking-related problems later in adolescence. The study found beer and liquor ads can promote drinking as early as seventh grade. The more exposure to ads the teens had, and the more they enjoyed watching them, the more alcohol they drank by 10th grade. Early drinking is associated with alcohol-related problems such as fighting or academic decline by 10th grade, the researchers note.

Smoke like a man, die like a man.

U.S. women who smoke today have a much greater risk of dying from lung cancer than they did decades ago, partly because they are starting younger and smoking more — that is, they are lighting up like men, new research shows.

Women also have caught up with men in their risk of dying from smoking-related illnesses. Lung cancer risk leveled off in the 1980s for men but is still rising for women.

New York is getting mixed reviews when it comes to keeping a smoke free New York, according to the 2013 State of Tobacco Control report prepared by the American Lung Association.

The report is based on a grading system that measures health policies in the U.S.

High school programs that teach teens to better manage their personality traits can help reduce and postpone problem drinking, a new study suggests.

Think a nightcap may help you get a better night’s sleep? Think again. A new review of 27 studies shows that alcohol does not improve sleep quality. According to the findings, alcohol does allow healthy people to fall asleep quicker and sleep more deeply for a while, but it reduces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

A new analysis of a report suggesting that regular marijuana use during the teen years can contribute to a drop in IQ may be incorrect.

The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences refuted the original Duke University study that found participants reported becoming dependent of pot by age 18 showed a drop in IQ score between 13 and 38.

The New York Police Department wants to reduce prescription pill theft by installing GPS tracking devices in medication pill bottles.

NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly outlined a plan at a conference on health issues asking local pharmacies to include GPS fitted bottles on the shelves alongside other medications.

"When pills become too expensive, addicts are known to resort to cheaper drugs such as heroin and cocaine.  They turn to crime to support their habit," the commissioner commented.

A New Jersey electronic cigarette company is boasting a 600 percent growth rate in sales between 2011 and 2012.

Logic is one of several e-cigarette companies, along with Blue, Njoy and Eonsmoke, that has targeted New York City as a main sales point for its product.

Azam Asaduzzaman, a SoHo newsstand clerk, said his shop had only started selling e-cigarettes about three months ago, but already sells about 12 a day for a total between $300 and $400, making up about 20 percent of its total sales of nicotine-delivery systems.

A new city policy will limit the number of prescription pain killers provided in public hospital emergency rooms.