'Fat but fit' still at higher risk of heart disease
Conclusion The question of whether someone can be "fat but fit" has been much debated. If you're obese but exercise, eat well and don't have metabolic risk factors, the theory goes, you could be just as healthy as someone of recommended weight. This study suggests that may not be true. It is definitely worth adopting a healthy lifestyle, whatever your weight. The study found that, the more metabolic risk factors people had, the more likely they were to develop heart disease, cardiovascular disease and so on. Metabolic risk factors do make a difference. But in this large study, on average, people who were obese ...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 17, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Obesity Source Type: news

Lack of sleep knocks your social appeal, says research
Conclusion Most people who have looked in the mirror after a sleepless night won't be surprised to hear that a poor night's sleep makes you look less attractive and healthy. It may not be particularly welcome news that your appearance could also put people off talking to you. But the study results show only a very small impact of sleep deprivation on people's perceptions of appearance. While the results are statistically significant, it's hard to know how you would notice a 2% drop in a stranger's willingness to socialise with you. And studies like this, which include only a limited demographic (in this case Swedish stu...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 17, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Hope for plant-based contraceptive, study claims
Conclusion This laboratory study aimed to investigate a variety of steroid hormones and plant compounds to look at their effect on sperm activation and ability to fertilise an egg. The researchers confirmed that the hormone progesterone present in the female reproductive tract seems to be needed to activate sperm and make them able to fertilise an egg. The also found that two plant compounds, pristimerin and lupeol, were able to block the sites on the sperm that are activated by progesterone. This means these two compounds could have a potential contraceptive action. But it's far too early to say whether new contraceptiv...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 16, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Can fizzy water make you fat?
Conclusion There seemed to be a clear distinction in this study between fizzy and non-fizzy-drink consumption in terms of weight gain, appetite and ghrelin production. These findings were further supported by the study in healthy adult volunteers, which similarly showed that the fizzy drinks increased ghrelin production. But does this mean that carbonation and ghrelin production provide the whole answer to why soft drink consumption is linked with obesity? But this doesn’t account for the link between weight gain and diet drinks which don’t contain sugar’They suggest carbonation could be the common link between th...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 15, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Obesity Food/diet Source Type: news

Keyhole knee surgery is 'waste of time' review finds
Conclusion This expert panel review provides compelling evidence against the use of knee arthroscopy for degenerative knee conditions/osteoarthritis. This procedure often has varied and inconsistent use in clinical practice. As part of their review the researchers also considered what other government organisations currently recommend about the procedure. NICE already says knee arthroscopy (with washout – flushing the joint with fluid) should not be performed for people with osteoarthritis. The only indication NICE currently gives for the procedure is people who have a clear history of mechanical locking symptoms. But i...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 12, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Older people Source Type: news

Yoga may bring long-term benefits for people with depression
Conclusion The study will have to be interpreted in the context of other research into yoga and depression. But taken in isolation, it doesn't provide firm evidence that yoga is beneficial for depression. The findings are applicable to a very specific population group: people with moderately severe depression who took antidepressants (often alongside other psychological therapy) and had no other mental health illness. They also hadn't previously practised yoga, but must have had an interest in doing so as they responded to advertisements. This means the groups by no means represent all people with depression symptoms.  ...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 12, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Life expectancy for people with HIV now 'near normal'
Conclusion This study is good news for anyone affected by HIV. It shows that people who start on modern HIV treatments can now live almost as long as people without HIV. The study is a demonstration of the enormous transformation in life expectancy for many people with HIV since the 1980s. However, the study can't tell us why these improvements have come about. We know that drug treatments have improved greatly since 1996, when the study began, so it's reasonable to think that drug treatments play an important role. However, there are other factors that might be important, such as earlier diagnosis and treatment, quick and...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 11, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Medical practice Source Type: news

Ibuprofen linked to increased risk of heart attacks
Conclusion This study is a useful addition to our knowledge about the links between NSAIDs and heart attack risk. The study suggests all commonly-used NSAIDs are linked to a similarly-raised risk of heart attacks, that the risk generally rises with the dose, and that it is highest in the first month of treatment. The researchers did a good job at taking account of potential confounding factors that could have affected the results. Even so, we don't know for sure that the NSAIDs were the direct cause of the problem. For example, if you are prescribed NSAIDs for a painful condition, and have a heart attack two weeks later, i...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 10, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication Source Type: news

Review finds no link between dairy and heart attack or stroke risk
Conclusion This large meta-analysis of cohort studies demonstrated no increased risk to cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease or all-cause death from eating dairy products. The review has strengths in its large size and the fact it was able to analyse different types of dairy product, such as high and low-fat and everyday products such as cheese and yoghurt. However, there are a number of factors to consider: The results of a systematic review are only as good as the quality of the underlying studies. These are all observational studies and it's possible that unadjusted health and lifestyle factors are having a...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 9, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Heart/lungs Neurology Source Type: news

Evidence behind reports of new baldness cure is a little thin
Conclusion The current study identified a group of cells in the hair follicles of mice which are important both in forming the hair shaft to allow hair growth, and also in maintaining hair colour. So far this research has been in mice, but the basic biology of cells in mammals is very similar, so it seems likely that the findings would also apply to humans. Researchers are also likely to want to perform tests on human cells in the laboratory to confirm their findings. The findings represent an advance in what is known about how hair grows and maintains its colour. However, this doesn't automatically mean the researchers ar...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 8, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Older people Source Type: news

Concerns about alleged 'harmful' arsenic levels in baby rice cakes
Conclusion Arsenic is found in the earth's crust and is naturally present in the environment. Certain countries – including India, China and Bangladesh – are known to have higher levels of arsenic in ground water than others. Water supplies in the UK are low in arsenic, but we may be exposed to arsenic through foods – such as rice and other crops – that have been exposed to contaminated water. This study shows that babies tend to have higher levels of arsenic metabolites in their urine when exposed to food – including formula milk and rice – and that rice contains higher than recommended levels. These are im...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 5, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Blood test may lead to targeted therapy for prostate cancer
Conclusion Genetic testing is becoming more common in cancer treatment as a way of tailoring treatment to the individual cancer. It's already used in breast cancer, for example. This test could help identify which men that have not responded to hormone treatment are most likely to benefit from two of the newer prostate cancer drugs. It is good news, because men could then be spared treatment that is unlikely to help them, and directed towards more suitable treatment options. Also, both of these newer drugs are very expensive, so a suitable test could save the NHS a great deal of money. Meanwhile, those men who are likely t...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 5, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medication Source Type: news

Low-gluten diet linked to heart attack risk
Conclusion This study has found that while overall gluten consumption in people without coeliac disease may not be related to heart disease risk, avoiding whole grains (wheat, barley and rye) in order to avoid gluten may be associated with increased heart disease risk. This study has several strengths, including its large size, the fact that data was collected prospectively and diet assessed at several time-points, the long period of follow up, and that it took into account a wide range of potential confounders. As with all studies of this type, it is possible that other factors may affect the results. However, the researc...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 4, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Statins side effects 'have been overstated', says study
Conclusion This is a complex study that provides a plausible explanation for the difference in reports of adverse effects of statins in RCTs and observational studies, some of which have suggested as many as 1 in 5 people get side effects from statins. However, we need to be aware of some limitations and unanswered questions: When people knew they were taking statins, they were more likely to report muscle pain than those not taking statins. But they were less likely to report muscle pain than in the first phase of the study, when they didn't know whether they were taking statins or placebo. We don't know why this is. ...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 3, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news