Smokers who are inclined to take a few puffs soon after waking up may face an increased risk of developing lung, head and neck cancers than smokers who do it later.

Joshua Muscat, from the Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, and colleagues investigated whether early morning puffing boosts smokers' risk of lung and head and neck cancers.

"These smokers have higher levels of nicotine and possibly other tobacco toxins in their body, and they may be more addicted than smokers who refrain from smoking for a half hour or more," said Muscat.

The lung cancer analysis included 4,775 lung cancer cases, all of whom were regular cigarette smokers, according to Penn State statement.

Compared with those who smoked more than 60 minutes after waking, those who smoked 31 to 60 minutes after waking were 1.31 times more likely to develop lung cancer, and those who smoked within 30 minutes were 1.79 times more likely to develop lung cancer.

The head and neck cancer analysis included 1,055 head and neck cancer cases and 795 controls, all with a history of cigarette smoking.

Compared with individuals who smoked more than 60 minutes after waking up, individuals who smoked 31 to 60 minutes after waking were 1.42 times more likely to develop head and neck cancer.

This must come up as a wake-up call for young girls starving to be size zero. Scientists have found that under-nutrition during adolescent years is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in later life.

A study of almost 8,000 women who were children, teenagers or young adults during the Dutch famine in 1944-45 conducted by researchers from the University Medical Centre in Utrecht, the Netherlands, has shown that under-nutrition - particularly in adolescent years - is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in later life.

Women, who were between 10 and 17 years at the start of the famine and who had been severely exposed to it, had a statistically significant 38% increased risk of coronary heart disease in later life. After incorporating factors like age at the start of the famine, smoking, and education, there was a 27% higher risk of heart disease for the severely exposed women as compared to those unexposed.

The study published on Thursday in the European Heart Journal has provided the maiden direct evidence that acute under-nutrition during the time that children are growing up can have an important impact on their future health. Doctors recommend that women eat 2,000 calories a day to stay healthy. But an increasing number of young girls in India are starving "to stay in shape".

Dr Sujay Shad, director of cardiac transplant at the Gangaram Hospital, said, "Young children sometimes aren't happy of their own body image or may emulate models by starving themselves, not growing at the age when they need to grow. Parents should be careful not to put undue pressure on them. "

"The Dutch famine of 1944-45 is a natural experiment in history, which gave us the unique possibility to study the long-term effects of acute under nutrition during childhood, adolescence, and young adulthood in otherwise well-nourished girls and women," write the authors of the study. This trend of youngsters not eating enough has also led to India facing an acute problem of osteoporosis, which is a result of young girls cutting down on food in order to have a good figure.