Stop smoking, bitches!
Among women, the risk of dying from smoking cigarettes is increasing, to the point where it's nearly identical to men's risk, according to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Current female smokers are more likely to die of lung cancer than their counterparts from years ago, partly because they're picking up the habit earlier and smoking more, according to CBS News. Researchers compared men and women's relative risks of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), ischemic heart disease, and any type of stroke. For these causes of death combined, the risk for current male smokers was 2.8, and 2.76 for current female smokers.