Claim high-fat diets can prevent diabetes 'unproven'
Conclusions
This small trial aimed to see whether there is a difference between strictly controlled low-GI diets that contain the same amount of energy, but are either predominantly fat or carbohydrate based.
Overall, researchers found the diets caused both weight and fat reduction, with little difference between the two – with the exception of minor differences in certain blood sugar and cholesterol markers, the significance of which is difficult to interpret. These could just be down to chance.
The researchers were careful to control the diets and other lifestyle aspects to try to ensure any observed effects were onl...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 12, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Food/diet Source Type: news
Report looks at the health of the 'baby boomer' generation
Conclusion
The baby boomer generation represents the first generation of babies to have grown up with the NHS (founded in 1948).
Thankfully, health issues such as death during childbirth, high levels of child mortality and high rates of fatal infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis, are largely a thing of a past.
But new challenges have arisen. So-called "lifestyle diseases" such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, are now a leading cause of death in England (as well as other developed countries).
Also, age-related conditions such as dementia are far more common than in previous decades.
Everyone can improve...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 9, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: QA articles Older people Source Type: news
Some psychotic episodes 'may be triggered by immune disorders'
Conclusion
The implication of the headlines reporting on this study is that many people diagnosed with schizophrenia or another psychiatric illness might have been misdiagnosed, and that they need treatment for an immune disease instead.
If true, that would be a massive concern. But the results of this study don't really bear out these fears.
There's no evidence that most of the antibodies tested are more common in people with psychosis than in people without mental illness.
Only one antibody, NMDAR, was significantly more common in people with psychosis than in the control group. Only 3% of people with psychosis had thi...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 9, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Neurology Source Type: news
Child 'more likely to use drugs if mum smoked when pregnant'
Conclusion
Research into epigenetics helps scientists investigate how the genes we inherit from our parents interact with the environment around us – for example, how genes combine to make us more or less likely to behave in certain ways or develop certain conditions.
We know from experience that some people seem more susceptible to risks like becoming addicted to alcohol or using drugs or tobacco.
This research may help us understand some of the factors behind that difference in risk, although it is likely there are many different causes.
Peer pressure, social and economic circumstances, parental attitudes, laws and t...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 8, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news
Moderate exercise 'better for sperm' than high intensity exercise
ConclusionThis randomised controlled trial indicated doing exercise three times a week may increase sperm quality and count. It showed that undertaking moderate-intensity continuous training was more beneficial than high-intensity continuous training or high-intensity interval training.All three types of training were more beneficial than no exercise.The study was well designed and accounted for confounding variables where possible. However, there are some limiting factors to consider: One of the reasons for the benefit may be due to losing excess weight – all three training programmes were found to reduce BMI and fa...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 7, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news
Grooming pubic hair linked to increased STI risk
Conclusion
This US questionnaire-based study aimed to assess the link between the grooming of pubic hair and lifetime history of STIs.
The findings showed that grooming was associated with a higher rate of STIs. The study has strengths in that it included a large number of both men and women with a very small number excluded from the analysis.
The team made attempts to make the survey as fair as possible and provided a laptop computer and free internet service to those without access to the internet. They also carried out a pilot survey to make sure it was valid and easy to understand.
However there are some important limi...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 6, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news
Handful of nuts 'cuts heart disease and cancer' risk
Conclusions
This systematic review finds evidence that nut intake may be linked with reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer and death.
The systematic review has several strengths. It identified a large number of studies with a large total sample size. It also included only prospective cohorts assessing nut consumption and then followed up later disease outcomes.
It excluded cross sectional studies, which assess diet and disease at the same time, and so can't show the direction of effect. It also excluded cohorts that have retrospectively questioned diet when the person already has the disease, which could be subjec...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 5, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet Cancer Heart/lungs Source Type: news
Behind the Headlines 2016 Quiz of the Year
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!).
In January 2016's health news...
In a controversial study, monkeys were genetically engineered to develop what disorder?
1) Sex addiction
2) Bi-polar disorder
3) Autism
In a similarly controversial study, what psychological condition was dismissed as a "myth"
1) Seasonal affective diso...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 5, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Special reports Source Type: news
Could Parkinson's disease start in the gut?
Conclusion
This study aimed to investigate a possible link between gut bacteria and degenerative brain diseases such as Parkinson's.
In the animal model of Parkinson's, researchers found that the presence of gut bacteria seems to enhance the brain's inflammatory response and lead to greater decrease in motor function.
And gut bacteria from people with Parkinson's seemed to have the greatest effect.
But does this mean that Parkinson's is essentially a gut disorder and could potentially be treated or prevented with antibiotics? Unfortunately the answer isn't so simple.
Although these are interesting findings, biological func...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 2, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Source Type: news
'Not enough over-50s' taking aspirin to prevent heart disease
Conclusion
This study doesn't really tell us anything we didn't already know. Aspirin has been used for many years to prevent heart attacks and strokes in people with cardiovascular disease. Aspirin's wider use is controversial, because of the potential side effects.
What this study does add is an estimate of what might happen if all people in the US who were advised to take aspirin under US guidelines, actually did so. (The researchers say that 40% of men and 10% of women advised to take aspirin don't take it).
The study assumes that people would get the same benefits as those seen in clinical trials of aspirin. This is u...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 1, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication Older people Source Type: news
'No need to wait to try again after miscarriage' advice
Conclusion
This study shows that getting pregnant sooner after a miscarriage results in no more adverse outcomes compared to waiting for more than six months.
In addition, there appear to be better outcomes in terms of a lower risk of further miscarriage and possibly preterm birth. It should be pointed out that for preterm birth the result only reached statistical significance when one of the relevant studies was excluded, which limits our confidence in this result.
This study has strengths as it included a large number of women from many different countries. However, it also has limitations:
The way data was collected...
Source: NHS News Feed - December 1, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news
'Want to live longer? Try racquet sports', recommends study
Conclusion
The overall conclusion we can take from this study is that taking part in sport or fitness activities is linked to a lower chance of death in a given period.
It's encouraging to see that a wide range of popular activities, including swimming, aerobics and cycling, are likely to be beneficial.
But we should be wary about comparing the types of different sports against each other. They weren't directly compared in the study and there may be reasons why results for some activities, such as football and running, were found to be statistically non-significant (potentially down to chance).
Statistician Professor David...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 30, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Older people Heart/lungs Source Type: news
Lack of sleep may disrupt development of a child's brain
Conclusion
This cross sectional study aimed to see whether sleep restriction in children could affect brain activity in a similar way to adults, and whether this may have an effect on brain development.
They found that sleep deprivation does lead to deeper sleep patterns in the side and back regions of the brain, and this also seemed to be linked with an effect on the myelin coating certain nerve fibres.
This potentially indicates that sleep deprivation may affect the developing brain of school age children – but this is quite a big leap.
The findings might seem worrying to parents and children but it's important to note...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 29, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Neurology Source Type: news
Expensive IVF add-ons 'not evidence based'
Conclusion
The researchers rightly say "people seeking fertility treatment need good-quality evidence to make informed choices".
As the system currently stands, people seek treatment from a variety of private UK fertility clinics.
In their desire for a baby, many couples are in a vulnerable situation and rely heavily on the guidance of health professionals.
But clinics may offer treatments that aren't sufficiently backed by the evidence.
The researchers highlight several problems. The standard first-step recommendation is for people to ask their GP for advice.
But GPs are unlikely to have the specialist kn...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 28, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child QA articles Source Type: news
Low social status 'damages immune function'
Conclusion
The negative effect of social deprivation on health has long been recognised. This has often been attributed to an increase in unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, poor diet and being overweight.
However, this study looked at a slightly different aspect – observing the effects of social status through relationships with others – and suggesting this may have wider health effects than just influencing our lifestyle and health behaviours.
They found that a monkey's rank changed the gene activity of specific types of white blood or immune cell, and altered their numbers. Therefore, so...
Source: NHS News Feed - November 25, 2016 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news
