“Autism symptoms can be reduced 50% in children who received faecal transplants,” reports the Mail Online. A new US study involving 18 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) found an improvement in digestive and autism symptoms 2 years after receiving a faecal transplant. Eight children no longer fitted the criteria for a diagnosis of ASD
“Taking vitamin supplements does not help you live longer but may actually cause you harm, study suggests,” reports the Sun. A US study reports that vitamin and mineral supplements do not reduce the risk of death. And there’s a suggestion that high-dose calcium supplements could actually increase the risk. But the study is hampered by
“Bad diets killing more people globally than tobacco, study finds,” reports The Guardian. In a new analysis, researchers have estimated that 11 million deaths around the world were related to poor diet. They found eating a diet high in salt, but low in fruit, wholegrains, nuts and seeds, was associated with more than half of
“Eating a few squares of dark chocolate every day ‘improves your blood pressure in just one month’,” is the overoptimistic headline in the Mail Online. Unfortunately for chocoholics, the study involved just 30 people, so the results are not particularly robust. And all 30 were young healthy adults, so we do not know whether there
“The sharp increase in the use of e-cigarettes has not led more British children to take up cigarettes or regard smoking as normal,” The Guardian reports. There’s been some concern about the popularity of e-cigarettes among young people, and whether it could increase the number of teen smokers by making smoking seem more socially acceptable.
“Weighing children when they start school is already too late,” reports the Mail Online. A study on childhood obesity suggests children’s weight and growth patterns should be measured before they start school. One in 3 children in the UK are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school, according to Public Health England.
“Is sitting really the new smoking? Alarming new research claims 70,000 deaths a year are caused by our increasingly sedentary lives,” reports the Mail Online. This headline refers to a study that looked into the impact of sedentary behaviour on a range of conditions including type 2 diabetes and various cancers. The main findings were
“Children’s ball pit play areas contain dozens of killer germs,” reports the Mail Online. Ball pits, a popular form of play for children, are sometimes used by physiotherapists working with children, especially those with autism. But commercial ball pits in shopping centres and restaurants have previously been found to be contaminated with dirt, urine and
“Drinking piping hot tea or coffee could ‘double your risk of developing tumours in the oesophagus’,” reports the Mail Online. A study of more than 50,000 people in Iran showed that those who drank 700ml (about 2 to 3 mugs) of black tea a day at temperatures of 60C or above were almost twice as
“High-strength cannabis increases risk of mental health problems,” reports The Guardian. Researchers have estimated that people who use high-strength cannabis daily are 5 times more likely to have a first episode of psychosis. Psychosis is a mental health disorder where people become temporarily disconnected from reality and may see things that are not there, hear
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