"Brain scans could identify babies most at risk of developing autism, study shows," The Guardian reports. Researchers think that looking for distinct changes in infant brains could identify some children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). A small US study used MRI scans to look at the brains of around 150 infants – 106 were thought to be at
"Adding vitamin D to food would reduce deaths and significantly cut NHS costs," The Guardian reports. A review of existing data estimates that supplementing food with vitamin D would prevent millions of cold and flu cases, and possibly save lives. Researchers looked at data from 25 previous studies where vitamin D was compared with a
"As evidence of dementia link to football emerges is it time to stop kids heading the ball?" is the question on the front page of the Daily Mirror. The headline was prompted by the results of a small study where post-mortems were carried out on six ex-professional players with a history of dementia. Researchers found four players had
"Half of GPs unaware of drug’s use [tamoxifen] in cancer prevention," The Guardian reports. An online survey of GPs found many were unaware of national guidelines recommending the use of tamoxifen for at risk women. Guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in 2013 recommends women thought to be at high
"Don’t believe online reviews of health products, they’re ‘skewed’," the Mail Online reports. A psychologist compared online reviews of three medical products with results from clinical trials, and found the reviews are skewed towards the positive. The author of the study, Dr Micheál de Barra, wanted to look into whether people who have had good
"Four-in-one ‘miracle’ pill to cure high blood pressure," is the headline on Mail Online. This is based on early research from Australia looking at the effect of a four-in-one "quadpill" on high blood pressure. The idea behind the quadpill is that by combining four hypertension drugs at a much lower dose than they are normally
"Operating on children with acute appendicitis may be unnecessary in many of cases," the Mail Online reports. The headline is a little misleading as the researchers were specifically looking at a type of appendicitis known as "appendix mass". This is where a lump develops inside the appendix. The most common treatment approach for an appendix mass
"Eating more wholegrain foods can help to speed up weight loss, scientists claim," the Daily Mail reports. Researchers found that people who ate a diet high in wholegrains absorbed less energy from food than people who ate a similar diet, but with refined grains (such as white flour). The study included 81 men and women
“Shift work and physically demanding jobs linked to lower fertility in women” Sky News reports. A small US study found a link between both activities and a reduction in both the number and quality of a woman’s eggs. An important fact to highlight from the start, which has somewhat been overlooked in media reports, is
"Vaping has been endorsed by health experts after the first long-term study of its effects in ex-smokers," ITV News reports. E-cigarettes contain nicotine but not many of the harmful substances produced by smoking tobacco, such as tar or carbon monoxide. However, there has been debate about exactly how safe their long-term use is. The study, involving
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