"A couple of bad nights is enough to make a person look ‘significantly’ more ugly," reports BBC News. Researchers in Sweden found people rated photographs of strangers as less attractive and healthy when the people in the photographs had less sleep. The study used photographs of healthy, mainly young, students taken after either two nights
"Forget Plan B – try aloe vera, controversial study claims: Scientists insist pills made from dandelions and mangoes can prevent pregnancy without a hit of hormones," reports the Mail Online. The news is based on a study investigating whether chemicals found in certain plants can reduce sperm’s ability to fertilise a woman’s egg. Sperm get a
“Fizzy water could cause obesity by encouraging you to eat more,” The Daily Telegraph reports. Researchers aimed to see whether it could be the carbonation in soft drinks – rather than the sugar – that explains the link between soft drinks and obesity. Overall, they found rats that drank diet or regular fizzy drinks ate
“Keyhole knee surgery for arthritis pain ‘is pointless’,” the Daily Mail reports. The headline is prompted by a review of the available evidence around knee arthroscopy (keyhole) procedures for people with degenerative knee conditions such as osteoarthritis – so called ‘wear and tear arthritis’. In spite of the headlines, this conclusion is not particularly newsworthy as it
"Yoga can ease depression symptoms, according to the largest study to ever investigate the link," the Mail Online reports. The study didn’t find any benefits from doing yoga at the end of the 10-week study period, but there were improvements in symptoms at a six-month follow-up review. Because of the mixed results, these findings need
"Young people on the latest HIV drugs now have near-normal life expectancy because of improvements in treatments," BBC News reports. The report says advances in antiretroviral drug treatments reduce the risks of serious complications. Researchers used data from 88,504 people with HIV from Europe and North America to track improvements in survival since 1996, when
"Taking painkillers for just one week ‘raises the risk of a heart attack’," the Daily Mail reports. The report is based on a new analysis that found a link between anti-inflammatory painkillers like ibuprofen and heart attack risk. Researchers looked at data from 446,763 people and found some evidence that all commonly-used non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) appear
"Eating cheese does not raise risk of heart attack or stroke," reports The Guardian. This follows a large review pooling the results of 29 observational studies into the link between dairy consumption and cardiovascular disease; coronary heart disease, as well as all-cause deaths. The studies included almost 1 million people from around the world and found
"Scientists studying cancer stumble on ‘breakthrough’ in search for baldness cure," announces The Daily Telegraph, adding that not only does this mean "a cream or ointment may soon cure baldness or stop hair turning grey" but also it could one day … explain why we age". Sadly for those of us with grey, or no, hair
"Almost half of baby rice food products contain illegal levels of inorganic arsenic despite new regulations set by the EU, according to researchers," ITV News reports. While this may sound shocking, arsenic is a common chemical compound naturally present in the environment. It’s found at very low levels in tap water in this country, but
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