"Aspirin a day could dramatically cut cancer and heart disease risk … study claims," the Mail Online reports. U.S. researchers ran a simulation of what might happen if all Americans over 50 years old took aspirin on a daily basis. Their results found that people would live about four months longer on average, adding 900,000
"Women who suffer a miscarriage should try for a baby again within six months, a major study has found," the Daily Mail reports. Current guidance from the World Health Organization recommends couples wait at least six months before trying to conceive again after a miscarriage. But the researchers decided to investigate the validity of this
"If you want to stave off death for as long as possible, you might want to reach for a tennis racquet," The Guardian reports. A study looking at the impact of individual sports on mortality found racquet sports reduced the risk of death by around 47%. Researchers also found reduced risks of death for people
"New brain scans reveal sleep deprivation damages children’s brains more than previously thought," the Mail Online reports. Researchers measured the brain activity of children whose sleep had been restricted by four hours and found some potentially worrying signs. The study included 13 children aged between five and 12 and compared the effects of a normal
"Nearly all costly add-on treatments offered by UK fertility clinics to increase the chance of a birth through IVF are not supported by high-quality evidence," BBC News reports, covering the findings of a review by experts in evidence-based medicine. IVF "add-ons" include a wide variety of treatments such as pre-implantation genetic screening, where the chromosomes of conceived
"Simply being at the bottom of the social heap directly alters the body," BBC News reports. The headline is based on a study in which researchers used female monkeys to simulate social hierarchies. Monkeys of low social status were found to have biomarkers indicating poor immune function and possible increased vulnerability to infection. The researchers
"Swapping butter and meat for olive oil and fish does cut the risk of heart disease," The Times reports. The headline is prompted by the findings from a US study involving data from over 100,000 men and women, followed for more than 20 years. The results showed that consumption of different types of saturated fats
"Vitamin D pills branded ‘waste of time’ and could even be ‘harmful’ according to new research," The Sun reports. But, despite the headline, no new research has been done. The news comes from a review of existing evidence published in the peer-reviewed British Medical Journal (BMJ), which questioned recent government advice on vitamin D supplements. In July this
"Children of confident fathers who embrace parenthood are less likely to show behavioural problems before their teenage years," The Guardian reports. A study found a link between positive attitudes towards fatherhood and good behaviour at age 11. The UK study involved more than 6,000 children born in 1991 or 1992 as well as their parents.
"Scientists have raised hopes for a radical new therapy for phobias," The Guardian reports. Brain scanners were used to identify brain activity pinpointing when people are most receptive to the "rewriting" of fearful memories. The scanners used functional MRI (fMRI) technology to track the real-time workings of the brain. It’s already known that combining gradual exposure
Most Commented