health

Too Many Hours Sitting Increases Risk of Breast Cancer

21st November 2014

Weight control and exercise are two steps that can significantly lower your risk of breast cancer. So it’s not surprising that too much sitting, which is associated with both weight gain and lack of exercise, could increase your risk of cancer. You might be surprised, however, just how strong the association is. According to research presented at a conference of the American Institute for Cancer Research, too much sitting and lack of physical activity lead to 49,000 cases of breast cancer a year. Separate research found that people who sat for 11 hours a day or more were 40 percent more likely to die from any cause. Even those whose job required sitting for six or more hours a day gained an average of 17 [More…]

Improved lifestyle choices could cut Alzheimer’s by third

4th March 2014

A third of cases of Alzheimer’s disease could be prevented if people start taking steps to improve their lifestyles, a study published in the journal Lancet Neurology has claimed. Research was carried out to understand the impact seven lifestyle risk factors had on a person’s chance of developing the disease. The factors were diabetes, midlife hypertension, midlife obesity, physical inactivity, depression, smoking and low educational achievement, all of which have previously been linked to Alzheimer’s Researchers from the University of Cambridge looked into how the seven risk factors affected the population-attributable risk (PAR) of developing Alzheimer’s disease in the US, Europe and the UK, suggesting a third of cases could be prevented if people adopt healthy lifestyle changes. Dr Simon Ridley, head of research at [More…]

Statin Benefits and Risks

10th February 2014

Following recent media coverage about side effects associated with statins, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has published its position on their benefits and risks People should continue to take their statins as prescribed. Large clinical trials have shown that statins can save lives by reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and the need for heart surgery. The benefits of taking statins strongly outweigh any risks. However like all medicines, statins can cause side effects in some people. Most side effects experienced by people who take statins are mild and product information lists advice on how to use statins and any potential side effects. MHRA continually reviews the information on the safety of statins. We will update the prescribing advice for statins [More…]

Swedish Microwave helmet ‘can spot a stroke’

2nd February 2014

Scientists say they have devised a helmet that can quickly determine whether a patient has had a stroke. It could speed diagnosis and treatment of stroke to boost chances of recovery, the scientists say. The wearable cap bounces microwaves off the brain to determine whether there has been a bleed or clot deep inside. The Swedish scientists who made the device plan to give it to ambulance crews to test after successful results in early studies with 45 patients. Race against time When a person has a stroke, doctors must work quickly to limit any brain damage. If it takes more than four hours to get to hospital and start treatment, parts of their brain tissue may already be dying. But to give the best [More…]