"Regularly tucking into a bar of chocolate may actually be good for us," reports the Mail Online. Researchers in Denmark say people who eat chocolate one to six times a week are less likely to get a heart condition called atrial fibrillation than those who eat it hardly at all (less than once a month).
"Just half a glass of wine a day ups the risk of breast cancer by nine per cent, experts warn," The Sun reports. A major report looking at global evidence found that drinking just 10g of alcohol a day – 1.25 units – was linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. The report was
"Simple saliva test for dementia ‘shows promise’ in bid to diagnose the disease early," the Daily Mirror reports. This news is based on a laboratory study that took saliva samples from 12 healthy adults, nine adults with Alzheimer’s disease, and eight with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), which is often seen as the stage just before
"Instagram is rated as the worst social media platform when it comes to its impact on young people’s mental health, a UK survey suggests," BBC News reports. The survey asked 1,479 young people aged 14-24 to score popular social media apps on issues such as anxiety, depression, loneliness, bullying, body image and "fear of missing
"Swallowable gastric balloon could help the obese lose weight without surgery," The Guardian reports. The news, which was widely reported, is based on a study presented at the European Congress of Obesity in Portugal. Researchers in Italy found obese patients who used a swallowable gastric balloon lost on average about 15kg over a four-month period.
"The idea that people can be fat but medically fit is a myth," reports BBC News. The story is based on research from scientists at the University of Birmingham, reported at a medical conference but not yet published. The researchers used information from a UK database of GP records covering 3.5 million people, to calculate
"A couple of bad nights is enough to make a person look ‘significantly’ more ugly," reports BBC News. Researchers in Sweden found people rated photographs of strangers as less attractive and healthy when the people in the photographs had less sleep. The study used photographs of healthy, mainly young, students taken after either two nights
"Forget Plan B – try aloe vera, controversial study claims: Scientists insist pills made from dandelions and mangoes can prevent pregnancy without a hit of hormones," reports the Mail Online. The news is based on a study investigating whether chemicals found in certain plants can reduce sperm’s ability to fertilise a woman’s egg. Sperm get a
“Fizzy water could cause obesity by encouraging you to eat more,” The Daily Telegraph reports. Researchers aimed to see whether it could be the carbonation in soft drinks – rather than the sugar – that explains the link between soft drinks and obesity. Overall, they found rats that drank diet or regular fizzy drinks ate
“Keyhole knee surgery for arthritis pain ‘is pointless’,” the Daily Mail reports. The headline is prompted by a review of the available evidence around knee arthroscopy (keyhole) procedures for people with degenerative knee conditions such as osteoarthritis – so called ‘wear and tear arthritis’. In spite of the headlines, this conclusion is not particularly newsworthy as it
Most Commented