“Link found between severe eczema and heart problems,” reports The Guardian. A large UK study found that people with severe eczema were more likely than people without eczema to develop a range of heart conditions, including unstable angina, heart attack and heart failure. The researchers were looking at the most common type of eczema, atopic
“Weekend lie-ins could help you avoid an early death,” reports The Guardian. A 13-year study of more than 43,000 people in Sweden found that regularly sleeping 5 hours or less increased people’s chances of dying by 65%, compared to those sleeping around 7 hours. However, there was no increased risk among people who slept 5
Why is leukaemia in the news? “Childhood leukaemia is preventable and likely caused by keeping babies too clean, according to a landmark study,” the Daily Mirror reports. This is somewhat of an oversimplification of a review that presented the hypothesis that the most common form of child leukaemia (acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, or ALL) may be
“Exercising regularly ‘can keep heart and arteries young’,” BBC News reports. Researchers recruited 102 older adults with an average age of 70 to a study looking at the relationship between exercise history and the health of their main arteries. All participants were considered healthy, and reported consistent exercise patterns over the last 25 years. The
“Cannabis oil could treat epilepsy,” is the misleading headline from the Mail Online. This story relates to a rare, severe form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. The condition develops at a young age and is characterised by frequent “drop” seizures, where a person drops to the floor. The condition is associated with learning difficulties and
“Fertility hope for polycystic ovary sufferers,” the Mail Online reports. This is a simplistic interpretation of a complex study that aimed to investigate hormone imbalances in pregnant women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), and the possibility these women could pass PCOS on to their daughters. PCOS is thought to be related to abnormal hormone levels
“‘Surprising’ study suggests exercise may make dementia worse,” reports The Daily Telegraph. A trial in which people with dementia took part in a moderately intense exercise programme for 4 months found their mental decline did not slow and may even have worsened faster than in people who did not take part in the programme. The
“People who experience disrupted 24-hour cycles of rest and activity are more likely to have mood disorders, lower levels of happiness and greater feelings of loneliness,” reports The Guardian. Researchers wanted to see if disruptions to the 24-hour “body clock” of rest and activity (circadian rhythm) had an impact on mental health. They used wearable
“Men with physical jobs have an 18% higher risk of early death than those with inactive work,” reports the Daily Mirror. This surprising finding came from a review of existing research that pooled 17 studies with a total of more than 190,000 participants. Men with a high level of physical activity at work were found
“Alcohol and tobacco are by far the biggest threat to human health around the world, while illegal drug harms ‘don’t even come close’,” The Independent reports. The news site writes about a recent report that provides the most up-to-date (2015) information about the global use of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs. It looked at how
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