Latest news with #AdamLeventhal
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
Doctors sound alarm over surge in teens hooked on 'Gen Z's favorite weight loss fix'
A record number of American teenagers are hooked on Zyn nicotine pouches, new data shows. In 2023, just three percent admitted to using the pouches, which are loved by young people for their appetite-suppressing effects. But by 2024, within just one year, this number had rocketed to 5.4 percent — an 80 percent leap. 'This growing public health issue needs more attention,' said Dr Dae-Hee Han, a public health scientist from California who led the research. 'Parents, teachers and pediatricians should be aware that teen nicotine pouch use is increasing across the nation,' Dr Adam Leventhal, also a public health scientist involved in the study, added. Users credit Zyns with a myriad of health benefits, from more confidence to better sexual performance and even weight loss, with some dubbing it 'O-Zyn-pic'. But the pouches also have a number of negative health effects, including nicotine addiction, sores emerging in the mouth and gums. They have previously been linked to heart trouble in teenagers. Some researchers have also linked their use during adolescence to harm to brain development and problems with learning, memory and attention. Nicotine pouches are small, white pouches inserted between the lips and the gums, where they release nicotine into the bloodstream over the course of about an hour. Nicotine suppresses appetite by activating specific receptors in the brain that tell the body it is not hungry, even when it may not be. This mechanism is thought to be related to the 'fight or flight' response, where the body prioritizes energy conservation during stressful situations. The trend was revealed in a study published in JAMA Network Open, and based on data from the Monitoring the Future survey — an annual survey launched in 1975 that asks students about their substance use. The study analyzed data from 10,000 survey participants in the 12th grade — aged 18 years — and 10th grade — aged 15 to 16 years. The team also found that more teenagers reported using nicotine pouches in the past 30 days and past 12 months, as well as using both pouches and e-cigarettes, compared to 2023. A total of 2.6 percent of teens said they now use them every day, compared to 1.3 percent in the previous year. And 4.6 percent admitted to using them at least once in the past 12 months, compared to 2.4 percent saying this in 2023. The use of vapes declined among teens over the same period, the survey showed. In 2023, 20 percent of teenagers admitted in the survey that they vaped, but by 2024 this had dropped to 17.6 percent — down by 13 percent. The number reporting using both e-cigarettes and pouches increased from 2.1 percent to 3.6 percent over the same period. Overall, teenagers who were male, white and living in a rural area were found to be more likely to be using nicotine pouches than their counterparts. Dr Leventhal urged: 'To reverse this trend, we need to heighten public awareness about pouches and educate youth about them. 'Policymakers might also consider ramping up regulation of the booming pouch market — including cinnamon, fruit and other attractive flavors — to protect youth.' The scientists were from the Keck School of Medicine, at the University of Southern California, primarily located in Los Angeles. Nicotine pouches are often sold in a variety of flavors to appeal to youth, just like electronic vapes have been to also get teenagers hooked. Zyn and other nicotine pouches are typically sold at gas stations, convenience stores and smoke shops around the country - in most places one could find tobacco products. A pack of 15 pouches sells for $5-$10 and are sold in two different strengths of nicotine: 3 milligrams and 6mg. Nicotine pouches have been available in the US for at least a decade, and are sometimes marketed as being less dangerous than other nicotine products. FDA officials say they contain fewer harmful ingredients than cigarettes and other types of chewing tobacco including snuff — dry powder inhaled through the nose — which are linked to cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Regulators have also found that a 'substantial portion' of adults who previously smoked switched completely to nicotine pouches. Several celebrities have been pictured using nicotine pouches like Zyn, likely boosting their popularity. Conservative commentator Tucker Carlson said in October 2022 that he enjoyed Zyn and the product could work as a 'male enhancer,' though there is no evidence of this. Carlson has since said this comment was a joke. He has now started his own brand of nicotine pouches called Alp. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield was reprimanded by the NFL for putting a Zyn in his mouth while on the sidelines of a game. Actor Josh Brolin has shared he's so addicted to an unspecified brand of nicotine pouches he sleeps with them in his mouth.
New York Times
10-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Fake football shirts: What are your experiences?
Today The Athletic released a podcast and written article as part of a nine-month investigation into the underground world of fake football shirts. It detailed how counterfeits can be bought for as little as £8 ($10.30) compared with the £85 price of some genuine shirts. Adam Leventhal, who produced the report, was also told how the money from counterfeit products often goes back into 'serious and violent crime'. Advertisement We want to know about your experiences of fake football shirts. Have you ever bought one? And does the report change your mind? Please answer the questions below and comment beneath this article to explain your experiences. We will bring you the results later this week. (NOTE: Readers who are using our app on an Android device may need to use two fingers to scroll through the survey. Still unable to get to the survey, though? Try this direct link). Loading…
New York Times
10-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Inside fake shirt industry, Arsenal's news sporting director, Man Utd fan protests
The Athletic FC ⚽ is The Athletic's daily football (or soccer, if you prefer) newsletter. Sign up to receive it directly to your inbox. Hello! The trade in counterfeit football shirts is illegal. It's also booming. We're going inside the production line. On the way: Football is one of those industries that knows the price of everything but the value of nothing, or the value of fewer things than it should. Case in point one: Manchester United charging £66 ($85) for tickets to watch their zombie-fied season (more on this to come shortly). Case in point two: replica match shirts retailing at up to £125 before any customised touches. Has the game crossed paths with the global cost-of-living crisis? Advertisement Shirt sales are a billion-dollar business within a multi-billion-dollar business. Only this morning, Liverpool announced a major new partnership with Adidas and wherever there's a market so lucrative, counterfeit goods are sure to spring up. The Athletic's Adam Leventhal discovered this when he stepped into the world of fake kits. In the Premier League alone, genuine tops generate revenue of close to £500m each year. Last season, almost £200m was spent on fakes. Why? An easy answer can be found in a quote given to Adam by a social media influencer by the name of Peasy. 'Myself and a lot of my friends do it because we can't justify £80 to £120 on a football shirt,' he said. '(You) have to push what you know is probably wrong to one side because of how inaccessible football shirts can be. It's extortionate.' Fakes cost as little as £8 — roughly the price of manufacturing real versions. There are problems with these forgeries, though. For a start, counterfeit products are illegal and police in different parts of the world are fighting to stem the supply of them. Second, there's no guarantee that the materials used are chemically safe, fire resistant or produced in line with any regulations. For this reason, fake tops that are seized cannot even be donated to charity. They are also prone to scamming and the authorities say links exist between the production of illicit kits and organised crime. But no doubt because of the price of legitimate shirts, the demand for fakes is rapidly increasing. A huge number of counterfeit shirts come out of China. One TikTok reviewer told Adam he received a commission from a Chinese e-commerce site for pushing links to its site online. A raid in the city of Hangzhou recovered a stack of tops that, according to law-enforcement officials there, was big enough to fill '20 football stadiums'. Advertisement Over time, the tiny island of Malta has become an access point to the European market, with a deep-sea port that allows boats stacked with shipping containers to dock there. An inspector in Malta, Randolph Mizzi, said the illicit production line 'might be supporting terrorism, child labour, weapons of mass destruction, human trafficking or drugs'. They shred all the fake tops they can find. In the UK, while it is not illegal to buy a fake shirt for personal use, a trademark infringement can result in a prison sentence of up to 10 years if you are involved elsewhere in the supply chain. In the United States, it can lead to five years in jail. The authorities have no choice but to tackle the supply of fake kit as a growing number of people feel they are being priced out of football. In a sport that only gets more expensive, the running battle with counterfeit copies has no end in sight. 🎙️ Adam also produced a podcast version of his super article. It's available on Apple and Spotify. The ticket prices at Old Trafford we mentioned? Those, along with a whole stack of grievances, were behind coordinated protests staged yesterday against Manchester United's majority shareholder, the Glazer family. Thousands of fans took part. Dissent towards the Glazers has been surging for well over a decade, although there's nothing to say they're listening or bothered. Operational control of United is now in the hands of minority partner INEOS. Only one Glazer member, the lesser-known Ed, was in town for yesterday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal. Water, meet the duck's back. I saw United described as a 'meat grinder' over the weekend and they do have a talent for mashing whatever passes through Old Trafford. The exception to the rule is the tireless Bruno Fernandes, whose deft free kick (above) ended any pretence of Arsenal plucking the Premier League title from thin air. Stranger things have happened, certainly, but Liverpool stroll on and they aren't letting a 15-point lead slide. Advertisement More compelling is Nottingham Forest's pursuit of Champions League qualification, which looks like it's coming up roses. They beat Manchester City 1-0 on Saturday, consolidating third place. In giving up 69 per cent of possession (as per), they once again did what City used to be so good at doing in reverse: sticking to the plan, trusting the process and bending the opposition to their will. Pep Guardiola was Nuno'd — and not for the first time either. Friday's question was: which 10 managers, alongside Mikel Arteta, won 100 or more of their first 200 Premier League games? They are: Guardiola (146), Jose Mourinho (137), Jurgen Klopp (127), Alex Ferguson (122), Rafa Benitez (114), Arsene Wenger (110), Claudio Ranieri (103), Pochettino (103), Gerard Houllier (101) and Kenny Dalglish (101). (Selected games, times ET/UK) Serie A: Lazio vs Udinese, 3.45pm/7.45pm — Paramount+/TNT Sports, OneFootball. La Liga: Espanyol vs Girona, 4pm/8pm — ESPN+/Premier Sports. Premier League: West Ham United vs Newcastle United, 4pm/8pm — USA Network, Fubo/Sky Sports. For brazen celebrations, Graeme Souness planting a Galatasaray flag in the middle of Fenerbahce's pitch is in a league of its own. That was his way of marking a Turkish Cup final win in 1996. It's a miracle he made it out of the stadium alive. Yesterday, we witnessed a watered-down version as Ardon Jashari stuck a Club Brugge flag in the centre circle at the end of their Belgian derby victory away at Cercle Brugge. The image isn't as iconic as Souness' trolling, but it went down with Jashari's hosts as well as you'd expect.
