"Sugary drinks tax ‘will benefit children most’," BBC News reports. A new study, where researchers tried to estimate the impact of a sugar tax on soft drinks, found that it would help combat child obesity as well as tooth decay. A proposed UK sugar tax on soft drinks is expected to be introduced in 2018.
"Detailed MRI scans should be offered to some women in pregnancy to help spot brain defects in the developing baby, say researchers," BBC News reports. A UK study suggests combining an MRI scan with ultrasounds could prevent misdiagnosis. Current guidelines recommend that pregnant women are given at least two ultrasound scans, at 8 to 14 weeks
"Women who take paracetamol or ibuprofen just twice a week could be damaging their hearing permanently," the Daily Mail reports. A US study found an association between the long-term use of these widely used painkillers and reported hearing loss. Researchers calculated just over 1 in 20 (5.5%) hearing loss cases in their study could have
"Pokémon GO doesn’t help people to stay fit and healthy," the Mail Online reports. A survey of US players of the popular augmented reality game found the average player’s daily step rate fell back to pre-game levels after six weeks. Pokémon GO is an app which encourages players to explore real-world destinations while "catching" Pokémon
"Brain tests predict children’s futures," BBC News reports. A study found that childhood factors such as low IQ, parental neglect and poor self-control were strongly associated with "socially costly" outcomes in adulthood, including smoking and obesity. The New Zealand based study followed the lives of 1,037 individuals from birth until midlife. Children were assessed on
"Diets laden with butter, cream and cheese ‘can help combat surge in type 2 diabetes’," the Mail Online reports. But the study it reports on only followed a small group of men for 12 weeks – not long enough to determine whether the diet would prevent diabetes or other chronic diseases. The study involved 38 overweight to
"Baby boomers should ‘stay in work to keep healthy’," reports BBC News, while The Daily Telegraph warns that "Swinging sixty-somethings see swell in sexually transmitted diseases". Both headlines are prompted by a new report commissioned (and partly written) by the Chief Medical Officer for England, Dame Sally Davies. The report assesses the health of adults
"Sufferers of psychotic illnesses ‘may have treatable immune disorder’," The Independent reports. Researchers from Oxford University found around 9% of people presenting with psychotic symptoms also had signs of immune dysfunction. They found these people had antibodies in their blood linked to a condition called antibody-mediated encephalitis. In this condition, antibodies made by the immune
"Children are more likely to use cannabis if their mother smoked while pregnant," the Mail Online reports. New research suggests smoking in pregnancy could affect the genes of the child, increasing their risk of substance abuse in later life. The research focused on a branch of genetics known as epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of
“‘Doing at least half an hour of exercise three times a week may boost men’s sperm count’,” BBC News reports. Researchers recruited 261 healthy married men who were randomly allocated to three different training programmes. A fourth group did no exercise as a control. The men’s sperm was then tested at various intervals for markers associated
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