Breastfeeding 'doesn't boost children's intelligence'
Conclusion This study has tackled the controversial question of whether there are long-term benefits of breastfeeding for cognitive ability or problem behaviours when children are older (ages three to five). Although they found very limited evidence of benefit, the authors do note that there are some other studies that have used a similar analysis but found differing results. The researchers think this could be due to slight differences in analysis. This does highlight the difficulties in being absolutely certain whether breastfeeding has direct impact on long-term cognitive outcomes. What we can say is that, if there ar...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 28, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Mental health Neurology Source Type: news

Is bad luck the leading cause of cancer?
Conclusion This analysis of global cancer registry data proposes simple chance as the third possible factor behind cancer-causing gene mutations, alongside well-established genetic and environmental factors. The possibility that random gene mutations can occur when the body's cells repeatedly divide is obviously highly plausible and not really that revolutionary a theory. However, these researchers have tried to quantify exactly what proportion of cancers could be down to chance. This brings us to the greatest limitation of this research: these are only estimates. As the researchers themselves point out: "The actua...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 27, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news

Modified protein promotes hair growth and fights ageing in mice
Conclusion This mouse study aimed to investigate whether there are ways to target and destroy senescent cells that have stopped dividing yet somehow avoid the normal cell-death pathways. Removing these cells could counteract damage to tissue in the body caused by medical treatments such as chemotherapy, and accelerated or natural ageing. It essentially found that a modified peptide (FOXO4-DRI) was able to cause death of the senescent cells. In turn, this was able to counteract the liver and kidney cell toxicity induced by a chemotherapy drug, in addition to reducing frailty and loss of fur density in the mice. Animal studi...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 24, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Source Type: news

Moderate drinking may reduce heart disease risk
Conclusion This study paints a more complicated picture than the "Pint a day keeps the doctor away" story proffered by The Sun. It seems to confirm the findings of other studies, which have shown that non-drinkers tend to have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases than people who drink moderately. It suggests that some cardiovascular diseases (mainly those directly affecting the heart) seem to have a stronger link to a possible protective effect from alcohol than other vascular diseases, such as mini-strokes and bleeding in the brain. However, this can't be concluded with certainty due to the study design. We ...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 23, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Mixing alcohol and energy drinks 'may be a risky cocktail'
Conclusion This systematic review aimed to try to better establish whether drinking alcohol mixed with energy drinks is linked with risk of injury. Although the majority of studies generally supported a link between consumption and increased risk of injury, as the researchers acknowledge, the high variability in the methods of the individual studies and assessment of harms "makes it difficult to determine the extent of this risk". Nearly all the studies were online surveys that asked questions about alcohol and energy drink consumption, and self-reported injury. But the temporal relationship between the two, ...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 23, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Mental health Source Type: news

The pill provides 'lifelong protection against some cancers'
Conclusion The research is in line with other studies that have reported on cancer risk and the pill. This study had the advantage of being both very large and having the longest follow-up period of any study of the effects of the pill on cancer. But we shouldn't lose sight of this study's limitations. It's not possible to say that taking the pill prevented women from getting certain cancers. It may be the case, but other confounding factors could be involved. The researchers took account of some basic factors that affect cancer risk, but not others like diet, physical exercise, weight and alcohol use. Many of the wom...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 22, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medication Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Overweight young men 'more likely to get severe liver disease'
Conclusion This cohort study aimed to assess whether a high BMI in late adolescence is associated with an increased risk of severe liver disease and liver cancer in later life. The researchers generally found a higher BMI was associated with an increased risk of severe liver disease, including liver cancer. A diagnosis of type 2 diabetes during follow-up was associated with a further increased risk of severe liver disease, regardless of BMI at the start of the study. This study included a very large population, and has used reliable sources of data for medical diagnoses and cause of death. But there are limitations to ...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 21, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Obesity Cancer Source Type: news

New drug shows promise in preventing heart attacks
Conclusion This is a high-quality, well-conducted randomised controlled trial conducted in a very large number of people across multiple countries. To date, it's remained uncertain whether evolocumab reduces the risk of cardiovascular events. This study provides good evidence that the drug reduces the risk of major cardiovascular events in people with high LDL cholesterol levels, and with a high risk of having a cardiovascular event, who are already taking statins. The follow-up is limited to around two years, during which roughly 1 in 10 people experienced a cardiovascular event. The reduction in risk was shown to inc...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 20, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Grandparents 'may be first to spot autism in a child'
Conclusions These cross-sectional parent and family surveys explore the factors that may be associated with the timing of diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders. It's important to put these findings into the right context. The surveys found grandparents, particularly maternal grandmothers, were often the first to recognise the signs of ASD. But this doesn't necessarily mean grandmothers have some sort of "superpower" for recognising developmental conditions. The fact that in a quarter of cases close family members suspected a problem before the parents themselves may reveal that people slightly removed from a f...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 17, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Mental health Neurology Source Type: news

Can yoga and breathing really help 'cure' depression?
Conclusion Many people report finding yoga and breathing exercises to be relaxing and helpful for their mental health. This study provides some evidence the practice might help people with symptoms of depression. But flaws in the study mean we can't be sure this is the case. The lack of a control group is the big problem. For some people, depression simply gets better over time. For others, taking part in a class, being able to talk about their mental health, or getting out and doing some gentle physical exercise may improve their symptoms. We don't know whether yoga specifically made a difference because the study does...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 16, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Source Type: news

Ibuprofen claimed to raise cardiac arrest risk by a third
Conclusion This study showed an association between taking ibuprofen or diclofenac and an increased risk of a cardiac arrest in the following 30 days, but no association was found with the other NSAIDs investigated. But this study does have its limitations: Although the researchers used the same people to avoid confounding variables, the same person will differ in certain aspects over time – for example, certain diseases may get better or worse, which might have affected the results. The study only looked at prescribed drugs and not over-the-counter drugs. In Denmark, ibuprofen was the only over-the-counter drug so...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 16, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Heart/lungs Source Type: news

New breast cancer drugs could help more than previously thought
Conclusion Advances in genetic technology are happening fast, improving our knowledge about which treatments may be most suitable for which types of cancer. However, testing these theories takes time, which can be frustrating for researchers, when newspaper headlines suggest people should already be receiving new treatments. This study potentially widens the pool of people who may benefit from targeted cancer treatment with PARP inhibitors, from around 5% to around 20%. That's clearly good news, but the potential for benefit needs to be tested in clinical trials. The researchers express a great deal of confidence in the ac...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 15, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Genetics/stem cells Medication Source Type: news

Children's screen time linked to diabetes risk factors
Conclusion This cross sectional study aimed to investigate the association between markers for type 2 diabetes and the amount of screen time a child has. The study found an association between higher levels of screen time and higher body fat and insulin resistance. However, as mentioned, this type of study is not able to prove cause and effect. It is most likely not the screen time itself that is the cause of these factors, more that this could indicate a generally less healthy and more sedentary lifestyle. A similar link might be found for children who spend more time reading books instead of taking physical activity. The...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 14, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Pregnancy/child Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Children's screen time linked to diabetes risk factors
Conclusion This cross sectional study aimed to investigate the association between markers for type 2 diabetes and the amount of screen time a child has. The study found an association between higher levels of screen time and higher body fat and insulin resistance. However, as mentioned, this type of study is not able to prove cause and effect. It is most likely not the screen time itself that is the cause of these factors, more that this could indicate a generally less healthy and more sedentary lifestyle. A similar link might be found for children who spend more time reading books instead of taking physical activity. The...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 14, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Pregnancy/child Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Hair loss drugs linked with erectile dysfunction
Conclusion This review confirms what is already known, that 5α-reductase inhibitors (5α-RIs) increase risk of erectile dysfunction. However, it also shows that even the low-dose formulation of finasteride taken by younger men for male pattern baldness is associated with increased risk. It is important to recognise that erectile dysfunction is already a known risk of the drug. It occurred in around one in 31 young men exposed – but the vast majority of cases resolved after stopping the drug. Erectile dysfunction only persisted in less than one in 100 young men after discontinuation of 5α-RI treatment. Even for men taki...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 13, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news