People with type 2 diabetes get little or no benefit from taking fish oil supplements, new research says. A study, commissioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) and published by the British Medical Journal, took in data from 83 trials…
Losing weight soon after a diabetes Type 2 diagnosis could prevent long-term damage, says new research
Patients with Type 2 diabetes should try and lose weight as soon as they’re diagnosed – to have the best chance of countering the disease, says new research. Type 2 diabetes happens when the body stops producing insulin and currently…
Study finds dementia risk linked to use of anticholinergics
An extensive new study has found links between dementia and people who use anticholinergics over a long period of time. Researchers at the University of East Anglia made the associations after studying the medical records of more than 40,000 patients…
Should doctors recommend acupuncture for pain?
Mike Cummings, College of Medicine Lead for Acupuncture within Medicine and Medical Director of the British Medical Acupuncture Society, expresses his views on whether doctors should prescribe acupuncture… The evolution of this debate[1], should doctors recommend acupuncture for pain?, has…
Drinking three cups of coffee a day may decrease coronary calcification, finds research
A new study by a Brazilian university suggests drinking three cups of coffee daily could help to decrease coronary calcification – but drinking too much could have a negative impact. Researchers at the University of Sao Paulo found that people…
Dame Sally Davies: ‘Daily cocktail of pollutants’ is harming health
The NHS Chief Medical Officer is advising people to switch off electronic screens including phones and tablets to reduce the effects of light pollution. Dame Sally Davies said the bright light from screens is just one of a ‘daily cocktail…
Could eating meals at the same time every day help to stave off dementia?
Sitting down to eat meals at the same time every day could help to prevent dementia, according to new research. A study carried out by the University of California looked at how regular meal-times had a positive influence on gene…
Swollen lips could be a symptom of Crohn’s disease, says leading gastroenterologist
Swollen lips could be a red flag to GPs that a patient is suffering from Crohn’s disease, according to a leading gastroenterologist. The condition is a chronic inflammatory condition, as is Crohn’s, and Kingston Hospital consultant Dr Rishi Goel says there could be some…
Clinical trials show potential migraine treatment breakthrough
Practitioners treating patients suffering from migraine could soon be able to offer a more effective method of cutting attacks. The results of two clinical trials have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine, one of which found 50 per…
Good bacteria in the gut could help cancer patients, research finds
How well a patient responds to cancer treatment could be down to the bacteria in their digestive system, says new research. The microbiome – micro-organisms that live in the human body and help regulate the immune system and keep the…
Bowel cancer patients to be given gym sessions following study
Cancer patients in parts of the UK are to have prescribed exercise sessions before they undergo operations after it was found physical activity could increase life expectancy and aid recovery from surgery. Research carried out in a pilot study in…
New study says e-cigarettes could be as harmful as smoking tobacco
They’ve been hailed as healthy cigarettes but taking up ‘vaping’ may be just as harmful to health as tobacco, new research says. The University of North Carolina Chapel Hill found that e-cigarettes, which mimic smoking by heating a liquid through…
Four million children in UK are now overweight, WHO warns
An international study has found that four in ten children aged between five and 19 are overweight or medically obese – with ten per cent of youngsters in the UK deemed at an unhealthy weight. The research, published by Imperial…
A bowl of porridge a day could be better for you than statins, says nutritionist
The nation’s health could be improved if everyone committed to eating a bowl of porridge a day, a professor of food and nutrition has said. Professor Chris Seal of Newcastle University said the simple step could have a marked impact…
More accurate blood test for heart attacks could save the NHS millions
A simple blood test offered to patients suspected of having a heart attack could save the NHS millions of pounds every year, says new research. More than 65 per cent of people who visit A&E with chest pains are not…
A side of fries with that? Food outlets fuelling UK’s obesity crisis by ‘upselling’, experts warn
Companies that try and sell customers a side of fries with their meal or persuade them to up the size of their latte are fuelling the UK’s obesity crisis, say health experts. Consumers are being ‘tricked’ into buying larger portions,…