"Diet drinks triple your risk of stroke and dementia," the Daily Mail reports, as US research found a link between daily intake and increased risk. However, the chain of evidence is not as strong as reported. The researchers analysed data from an ongoing US cohort study to see if consumption of sugar or artificially sweetened drinks
"Want to live longer? Reduce your risk of cancer? And heart disease? Then cycle to work," BBC News advises, prompted by a new study that found UK commuters who cycled to work had lower rates of cancer and heart disease, compared to other types of commuters. The study was well designed as it included more
"Depression and cancer drugs offer hope for dementia sufferers," Sky News reports. The headline is prompted by a study looking at the effect of two drugs – one used to treat depression and another being trialled for cancer treatment – on neurodegenerative diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases are conditions that cause progressive damage to the brain’s functions, such as Alzheimer’s disease,
"’Potent’ new molecule in frog slime may give us new way to beat flu epidemics, say boffins," The Sun reports. Researchers looked at secretions from the skin of a south Indian frog called Hydrophylax bahuvistara. They found it contained a peptide (a short chain of amino acids) which could kill certain flu viruses in the
"’Touchscreen-toddlers’ sleep less," BBC News report. Results from a survey of UK parents suggest every hour a child spends using a touchscreen device was associated with an hour’s less sleep a night. Reports such as this are likely to cause concern to many parents, as touchscreen devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are now widespread
"People who are too fat or too thin are ‘more likely to suffer from migraines’," reports The Sun. Researchers reviewed data from 12 studies involving 288,981 people and concluded obese people have a 21% increased risk of migraines, compared to those of healthy weight. Migraines are moderate to severe headaches that are more common in women.
“Do you have a tattoo? You may be at-risk of heat stroke as inked skin produces significantly less sweat than normal,” the Mail Online reports. A small US study, involving 10 men, found tattooed skin produced less sweat, which could lead to over-heating. The drug pilocarpine was used to induce sweating on the participants’ tattooed skin
"Eating fresh fruit daily could cut risk of diabetes by 12%," the Mail Online reports. A study of half a million people in China found those who ate fruit daily were 12% less likely to get type 2 diabetes than those who never or rarely ate it. It was also found that people with diabetes at the
"New technique in which brain cells are reprogrammed could one day provide a cure for Parkinson’s disease," The Independent reports. Researchers, using mice with Parkinson’s disease, "reprogrammed" cells to replace the nerves lost in the condition. These nerves produce the messenger chemical dopamine, and help to coordinate body movements. Parkinson’s is a neurological condition, of unknown
"Having a pet dog…can help reduce the child’s chances of developing allergies and becoming obese in later years," claims the Daily Mirror, in a somewhat misleading report. Researchers did find a link between pet ownership and an increased diversity of "healthy bacteria" in infants, but didn’t look at long-term outcomes such as the development of allergies or obesity. The
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