"Smoking in pregnancy hurts your grandkids by ‘increasing their risk of autism’," The Sun brashly reports. Researchers looked at data spanning multiple generations and reported a link between girls with autism symptoms and having a maternal grandmother who smoked. They looked at data from more than 14,000 children, which included autism-related behavioural traits, such as poor social
"Why Oktoberfest could be damaging your heart" is the somewhat strange headline in The Times. Researchers who attended the annual Bavarian beer and folk festival found binge drinkers were more likely to have abnormal heart rhythm patterns. This could be of potential concern – in extreme cases, abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias) can trigger serious complications,
"It might be possible to treat the main cause of permanent blindness before people notice any loss of vision," BBC News report. A proof of concept study of early testing for glaucoma – the most common cause of sight loss – had promising results. In glaucoma, the light-sensitive cells of the retinal nerve die, usually
"Doing moderate exercise several times a week is the best way to keep the mind sharp if you’re over 50," BBC News reports. A review of existing data found both aerobic exercise and strength training appeared to improve cognitive functions, such as memory, attention, and how well people carry out tasks. The review brought together information
"Drinking up to four cups of coffee a day carries no health risk, experts say. Scientists said those who stick to that limit have no need to worry," reports The Sun. This was based on a review of studies that looked at the effects of caffeine on health. The researchers specifically investigated the effect of having
"Regular bedtimes make children less likely to be obese as adults," is the slightly misleading Mail Online headline. This follows a study looking at the link between household routines in early childhood and obesity at age 11. Researchers analysed data about children in the UK that had been collected as part of a previous large study
"Diet drinks triple your risk of stroke and dementia," the Daily Mail reports, as US research found a link between daily intake and increased risk. However, the chain of evidence is not as strong as reported. The researchers analysed data from an ongoing US cohort study to see if consumption of sugar or artificially sweetened drinks
"Want to live longer? Reduce your risk of cancer? And heart disease? Then cycle to work," BBC News advises, prompted by a new study that found UK commuters who cycled to work had lower rates of cancer and heart disease, compared to other types of commuters. The study was well designed as it included more
"Depression and cancer drugs offer hope for dementia sufferers," Sky News reports. The headline is prompted by a study looking at the effect of two drugs – one used to treat depression and another being trialled for cancer treatment – on neurodegenerative diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases are conditions that cause progressive damage to the brain’s functions, such as Alzheimer’s disease,
"’Potent’ new molecule in frog slime may give us new way to beat flu epidemics, say boffins," The Sun reports. Researchers looked at secretions from the skin of a south Indian frog called Hydrophylax bahuvistara. They found it contained a peptide (a short chain of amino acids) which could kill certain flu viruses in the
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