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news archive: Sep-Oct 2007
Health & longevity news archive: September-October 2007
Be thin to cut cancer, study says
(Oct 31, 2007)
Even those who are not overweight should slim down if they want
to cut their risk of cancer, a major international study has claimed.
The World Cancer Research Fund carried out the largest ever inquiry
into lifestyle and cancer, and issued several stark recommendations.
They include not gaining weight after the age of 21, avoiding
soft drinks and alcohol, and not eating bacon or ham.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Therapy may cut lung cancer risk
(Oct 31, 2007)
Treatment with a derivative of vitamin A called retinoic acid
may help to cut former smokers' risk of lung cancer, research
suggests. It is suspected that lung cells damaged during years
of smoking may continue to grow and evolve into cancer even after
that person has quit. Scientists found the therapy reduced growth
among those lung cells.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Light activated cancer drug hope
(Oct 30, 2007)
Scientists say they may be able to make cancer-fighting drugs
target tumours far more effectively by using ultra-violet light
to activate them. Monoclonal antibodies are seen as a key weapon
in the fight against cancer, but can attack healthy tissue as
well. Writing in ChemMedChem, Newcastle University researchers
say they have found ways to make antibodies only respond when
light is shone.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Organic produce 'better for you'
(Oct 29, 2007)
Organic produce is better for you than ordinary food, a major
European Union-funded study says. The £12m four-year project,
led by Newcastle University, found a general trend showing organic
food contained more antioxidants and less fatty acids. But researchers
did admit the study showed some variations.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Diet choices 'written in genes'
(Oct 23, 2007)
Our genes and not just our upbringing may play a key role in our
food likes and dislikes, UK researchers believe. Experts from
Kings College London compared the eating habits of thousands of
pairs of twins. Identical twins were far more likely to share
the same dietary patterns – like a penchant for coffee and
garlic – suggesting tastes may be inherited.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Optimism 'no bearing on cancer'
(Oct 22, 2007)
The power of the mind has been overestimated when it comes to
fighting cancer, US scientists say. They said they found that
a patient's positive or negative emotional state had no direct
bearing on cancer survival or disease progression. The University
of Pennsylvania team followed more than 1,000 patients with head
and neck cancer.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Why garlic is good for the heart
(Oct 16, 2007)
Researchers have cracked the mystery of why eating garlic can
help keep the heart healthy. The key is allicin, which is broken
down into the foul-smelling sulphur compounds which taint breath.
These compounds react with red blood cells and produce hydrogen
sulphide which relaxes the blood vessels, and keeps blood flowing
easily.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Test 'can spot Alzheimer's risk'
(Oct 15, 2007)
A newly developed blood test can identify those at risk of Alzheimer's
disease up to six years before symptoms would become apparent,
researchers say. The test identifies changes in a handful of proteins
that cells use to convey messages to one another. The US researchers
found it could indicate who had Alzheimer's, as well as who was
likely to develop the condition, with 90% accuracy.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Cell-squirting needles could 'weave' new
organs
(Oct 13, 2007)
A new approach to "printing" living cells could make it easier
to arrange them into precise structures without harming them.
This could enable future therapies where replacement limbs or
organs can be printed to order.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Sedated patients can hear speech
(Oct 12, 2007)
Research into the brain's response to speech when under sedation
has revealed reduced activity in areas critical for memory and
understanding language. Cambridge University scientists used brain
imaging to find evidence which may influence the amount of anaesthetic
given to patients undergoing surgery. It may also affect attitudes
to patients in a coma or vegetative state.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Heart drugs 'have longer effect'
(Oct 11, 2007)
The cholesterol-lowering drugs statins can provide protection
against heart disease years after patients stop taking them, a
study has found. The drugs can reduce the risk of heart attacks
by a quarter in men, according to the report's lead author. The
University of Glasgow study found long-term benefits in taking
statins.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Hip size 'gives cancer risk clue'
(Oct 9, 2007)
Women whose mothers have big hips may be more likely to develop
breast cancer, research suggests. A study led by the University
of Southampton found breast cancer rates were more than three
times higher among women whose mothers had wide hips.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Needles 'are best for back pain'
(Sep 25, 2007)
Acupuncture – real or sham – is more effective at
treating back pain than conventional therapies, research suggests.
A German team found almost half the patients treated with acupuncture
felt pain relief. But the Archives of Internal Medicine study
also suggests fake acupuncture works nearly as well as the real
thing. In contrast, only about a quarter who received drugs and
other Western therapies felt better.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
The virtues of Vitamin D: It's time we
saw the light
(Sep 19, 2007)
It may not be the first supplement to be called a "wonder vitamin",
but it is one of the few to have lived up to the name. Last week,
the biggest review of the role of vitamin D in health found that
people who took supplements of the vitamin for six years reduced
their risk of dying from all causes.
Read
more. Source: The Independent |
Honey is the bee's knees for staying young
(Sep 14, 2007)
Perhaps Winnie the Pooh knows something we don't. Honey could
soon be marketed as a way to combat the effects of ageing. Lynne
Chepulis and Nicola Starkey of the University of Waikato in Hamilton,
New Zealand, raised rats on diets containing 10 per cent honey,
8 per cent sucrose, or no sugar at all for 12 months. The rats
were two months old at the start of the trial, and were assessed
every three months using tests designed to measure anxiety and
spatial memory.
Read
more. Source: New Scientist |
Pill use 'may cut risk of cancer'
(Sep 12, 2007)
Contraceptive pill use does not raise a women's overall risk of
cancer – and may cut it for most, research shows. Any increased
risk of breast and cervix cancer linked to pill use appears to
be cancelled out by long-term protection from other cancers. However,
the British Medical Journal study found using the pill for more
than eight years was associated with an increased overall risk
of cancer.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Contagious yawn 'sign of empathy'
(Sep 11, 2007)
Yawning may reveal more about a person than their boredom threshold,
according to research. A susceptibility to contagious yawning
may actually be a sign of a high-level of social empathy. Although
many species yawn, only some humans and possibly their close animal
relatives find yawning infectious, suggesting the reason is psychological.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Depression leads to worst health
(Sep 7, 2007)
Depression is a more disabling condition than angina, arthritis,
asthma and diabetes, World Health Organization research shows.
And those with depression plus a chronic illness, such as diabetes,
fare particularly badly, the study of more than 245,000 people
suggests. Better treatment for depression would improve people's
overall health, the researchers concluded in the Lancet.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Parents warned of additives link
(Sep 6, 2007)
Parents have been warned of the effects of food additives on their
children's behaviour after new research found a possible link
to hyperactivity. A Food Standards Agency (FSA) study of 300 random
children found they behaved impulsively and lost concentration
after a drink containing additives. The FSA now says hyperactive
children might benefit from fewer additives.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
Scientists discover height gene
(Sep 4, 2007)
Scientists have discovered the first gene that influences a person's
height. People who carry two copies of the "tall" version of the
HMGA2 gene are up to 1cm taller than those who carry two copies
of the "short" version. The international team of researchers
say the discovery could aid a greater understanding of the link
between height and disease.
Read
more. Source: BBC |
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