RESEARCH MAY DAMPEN THE APPITITE FOR WATER PIPES

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Research May Dampen the Appetite for Water Pipes

ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turks may believe smoking hookahs wards off bad luck, but researchers say the water pipes are harmful to your health, Turkish newspapers say.
Cafes serving the tobacco and dried fruit mixture have been the haunt of older men since the 17th century, but in recent years they have become popular with tourists and young urban Turks seeking "bubbling conversation" over water pipes, called nargile in Turkey.

"A dog does not bite he who smokes the nargile and thieves do not enter his home," is an old Turkish proverb.

There has been little research on the effects of the nargile, but researchers at Dokuz Eylul University in the western city of Izmir have now found smoking from the pipes reduces lung capacity by 30 percent in non-smokers and 40 percent in people who also smoke cigarettes.

"This research shows that tobacco, whatever its use or dose, is a product that causes harm. People should stay away from all varieties of tobacco," Oguz Kilinc, who led the research, was quoted as saying by Turkiye newspaper.