Tag bbc news

Daily aspirin 'risky' for healthy

Healthy people should not take aspirin to ward off heart attacks and cancer, according to the most comprehensive review of the risks and benefits. There has been growing debate about whether all people over 50 should take a daily, low dose aspirin. But the review, conducted by the research arm of the NHS, said it was a "fine balance" due to the dangers of bleeding in the brain and stomach. Overall it warned against taking the drug, until there was more evidence. Aspirin...

See details.

Breast cancer 'worse' in young, black women

Young black women in the UK are more likely than their white counterparts to develop "worse" breast cancer with a poorer prognosis, research suggests. This group has larger, more aggressive tumours with a higher risk of recurrence. This is despite having the same access to treatment, the study in the British Journal of Cancer shows. As yet unidentified biological factors may be to blame, say the Cancer Research UK investigators. Such women might respond less well to...

See details.

Saturated fat heart disease 'myth'

The risk from saturated fat in foods such as butter, cakes and fatty meat is being overstated and demonised, according to a cardiologist. Dr Aseem Malhotra said there was too much focus on the fat with other factors such as sugar often overlooked. It is time to "bust the myth of the role of saturated fat in heart disease", he writes in an opinion piece in the British Medical Journal. But the British Heart Foundation said there was conflicting evidence. It added reducing...

See details.

Exercise 'boosts academic performance' of teenagers

Intensive exercise improves the academic performance of teenagers, according to new research. The study, of about 5,000 children, found links between exercise and exam success in English, maths and science. It found an increase in performance for every extra 17 minutes boys exercised, and 12 minutes for girls. The study by the universities of Strathclyde and Dundee found physical activity particularly benefited girls' performance at science. The authors said this could be a...

See details.

Baldness treatment a 'step closer'

 Scientists say they have moved a step closer to banishing bald spots and reversing receding hairlines after human hair was grown in the laboratory.   A joint UK and US team was able to create new hairs from tissue samples.   Far more research is needed, but the group said its technique had the "potential to transform" the treatment of hair loss.   The study results were published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of...

See details.

Blood test 'detects sepsis in hours'

A rapid blood test to diagnose blood poisoning, or sepsis, at the hospital bedside could potentially save thousands of lives, say researchers. Early studies at King's College London suggest the condition can be diagnosed in two hours using a simple blood test. Current diagnostic methods take up to two days, which may delay treatment with life-saving antibiotics. The condition - caused when the body's immune system overreacts to infection - causes 37,000 UK deaths each year. In...

See details.

Housework 'not strenuous enough' for exercise targets

Housework and DIY are not strenuous enough to count towards people's activity targets, a paper has found. It had been thought they could count towards the recommended 150 minutes of moderately intense activity per week. But the BMC Public Health study, which surveyed over 4,500 adults, found those who counted housework were heavier than those who did other activities. Experts said activities only counted when they made breathing more rapid and the heart beat faster. NHS...

See details.

Cognitive therapy study hope for hypochondria patients

Cognitive behavioural therapy is more effective than standard care for people with hypochondria or health anxiety, say researchers writing in The Lancet. In their study, 14% of patients given CBT regained normal anxiety levels against 7% given the usual care of basic reassurance. It said nurses could easily be trained to offer the psychological therapy. Between 10% and 20% of hospital patients are thought to worry obsessively about their health. Previous studies have shown that...

See details.

Sleep 'cleans' the brain of toxins

The brain uses sleep to wash away the waste toxins built up during a hard day's thinking, researchers have shown. The US team believe the "waste removal system" is one of the fundamental reasons for sleep. Their study, in the journal Science, showed brain cells shrink during sleep to open up the gaps between neurons and allow fluid to wash the brain clean. They also suggest that failing to clear away some toxic proteins may play a role in brain disorders. One big...

See details.

Check for blood in urine, urges kidney cancer campaign

If you see blood in your urine, even if it is just once, it could be a sign of cancer, a public health campaign warns. Kidney cancer diagnoses have risen by a third in the past 10 years in England. And the death toll has increased by 7%, with about 3,500 people dying from kidney cancer in England in 2011. Public Health England (PHE) says the rise is linked to unhealthy lifestyles - smoking and obesity both raise the risk of kidney cancer - but early diagnosis could drive down death...

See details.