"Brain tests predict children’s futures," BBC News reports. A study found that childhood factors such as low IQ, parental neglect and poor self-control were strongly associated with "socially costly" outcomes in adulthood, including smoking and obesity. The New Zealand based study followed the lives of 1,037 individuals from birth until midlife. Children were assessed on
"Diets laden with butter, cream and cheese ‘can help combat surge in type 2 diabetes’," the Mail Online reports. But the study it reports on only followed a small group of men for 12 weeks – not long enough to determine whether the diet would prevent diabetes or other chronic diseases. The study involved 38 overweight to
"Baby boomers should ‘stay in work to keep healthy’," reports BBC News, while The Daily Telegraph warns that "Swinging sixty-somethings see swell in sexually transmitted diseases". Both headlines are prompted by a new report commissioned (and partly written) by the Chief Medical Officer for England, Dame Sally Davies. The report assesses the health of adults
"Sufferers of psychotic illnesses ‘may have treatable immune disorder’," The Independent reports. Researchers from Oxford University found around 9% of people presenting with psychotic symptoms also had signs of immune dysfunction. They found these people had antibodies in their blood linked to a condition called antibody-mediated encephalitis. In this condition, antibodies made by the immune
"Children are more likely to use cannabis if their mother smoked while pregnant," the Mail Online reports. New research suggests smoking in pregnancy could affect the genes of the child, increasing their risk of substance abuse in later life. The research focused on a branch of genetics known as epigenetics. Epigenetics is the study of
“‘Doing at least half an hour of exercise three times a week may boost men’s sperm count’,” BBC News reports. Researchers recruited 261 healthy married men who were randomly allocated to three different training programmes. A fourth group did no exercise as a control. The men’s sperm was then tested at various intervals for markers associated
"Women and men who regularly trim or remove all their pubic hair run a greater risk of sexually transmitted infections," BBC News reports. A survey of around 7,500 Americans, aged between 18 and 65 years, found "groomers" had a higher rate of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) such as herpes. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that
"People consuming at least 20 grams of nuts daily less likely to develop potentially fatal conditions such as heart disease and cancer," The Independent reports. That was the main finding of a review looking at 20 previous studies on the benefits of nuts. Researchers found consistent evidence that a 28 gram daily serving of nuts –
In 2014, Behind the Headlines has covered more than 500 health stories that made it into the mainstream media. If you’ve been paying attention you should find this quiz easy and fun. Why not test your knowledge of 2014’s health news with our month-by-month quiz? Answers are at the foot of the page (no peeking!).
"Parkinson’s disease ‘may start in gut’," BBC News reports. New research involving mice suggests that bacteria in the gut may lead to a greater decline in motor function in patients with Parkinson’s disease. The study involved a mouse model of Parkinson’s disease. The researchers gave some of the mice gut bacteria from people with Parkinson’s disease,
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