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Total 273 results found since Jan 2013.

Caution urged over CT scan radiation doses
BBC News reports on a sharp rise in the number of CT scans being performed, exposing people to the potential health risks of radiation. However, as The Daily Telegraph says, it is not possible to calculate the cancer risk due to exposure to CT scans because there is a lack of data. These media stories follow the publication of a report by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE). COMARE has reviewed trends in the use of CT scans in the UK. The review weighs up the risk-benefit balance of using CT scans, and considers ways to obtain the best quality scan image while minimising the necessary...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 15, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Source Type: news

Growth of newborn babies' brains tracked
Conclusion This study has mapped out the growth rate of the major structures of the brain in 87 apparently healthy neonates from within a week of birth up to 90 days. A study of this nature can help our understanding of the growth and development of the brain and our ability to monitor brain development over time. The fact the investigation had no apparent side effects is also welcome. However, as the authors point out, the relatively small size of the study means the results cannot be used as a reference for normal development. Larger and more ethnically diverse studies would be required. The goal of establishing data ...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 12, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Pregnancy/child Source Type: news

Exercise may cut breast cancer risk, study finds
ConclusionThis large study has shown that increased exercise is associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer for postmenopausal women. Strengths of the study include the large number of women and that self-reports of breast cancer were verified by a pathology report in 94% of cases.However, as the authors point out, a limitation of this study is that it was conducted on a group of teachers who were mainly of a healthy weight. This means the results may not be applicable to women of a different weight with different occupations, including more or less sedentary jobs.The study also relied on self-reported exercise levels,...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 11, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

'Safe' stem cell therapy may help stroke recovery
Conclusion This study provides evidence that a new technique using a patient's own stem cells to aid the recovery from severe ischaemic stoke is feasible and appears to be safe. It was not designed to test whether the technique was better than doing nothing or better than other types of care or treatment. The authors are perfectly clear that this "proof-of-concept study was not designed with a control group or powered to be able to detect efficacy". This means we cannot be sure that the improvements seen in the five patients were caused by the stem cell treatment. They could have occurred anyway as part of the na...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 11, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Genetics/stem cells Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Lack of vitamin D may 'raise dementia risk'
Conclusion This cohort study of more than 1,650 elderly people has found that over 5.6 years, severe vitamin D deficiency is associated with approximately twice the risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer's disease. It also found moderate deficiency is associated with a 50% increase in risk compared with healthy levels of vitamin D. With this being a cohort study, it was not able to show that low levels of vitamin D caused dementia or Alzheimer's disease – it was simply able to show an association. Other factors that can increase the risk of developing dementia, such as a poor diet, lack of activity and general poor h...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 7, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Older people Neurology Mental health Source Type: news

Salt content in cheese 'too high', say campaigners
Conclusion This study highlights the wide variation in salt content that can be found in cheese. Labelling is now making it easier to make an informed choice regarding where you wish your maximum recommended level of 6g of salt per day to come from. This is particularly important when assessing which cheese is the best option for children, who should consume lower levels of salt. The study showed that there were many types of cheese that have a reasonably low salt content, including cottage cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella and Emmental. However, cheese is generally calorific, and overconsumption can lead to overweight an...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 7, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news

Daily aspirin 'reduces cancer risk', study finds
Conclusion While the findings on aspirin and cancer show promise, it is not clear that the results are reliable from the methods reportedly used to compile this review. This is because it included studies of varying design and quality, with much of the evidence coming from observational studies, which, while useful, cannot be totally relied on to test the effectiveness of healthcare interventions. It's not clear how the studies included in the review were chosen and whether others on the same topic were excluded. It is also not clear whether or not this was a systematic review, where studies are rigorously appraised for ...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 6, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Medication Source Type: news

Eating more than 5 a day 'brings no extra benefit'
Conclusion This systematic review of cohort studies has found higher consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a reduced risk of death from any cause, with an average reduction in risk of 5% for each additional serving per day. There was a threshold observed at around five servings per day, after which the risk of death did not reduce further. Greater fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with decreased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, but higher consumption was not appreciably associated with death from cancer. As many of the news stories point out, this threshold at around five servings ...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Food/diet Source Type: news

Running 7 minutes a day 'halves heart death risk'
Conclusion This well-conducted cohort study found running is associated with a reduction in risk of death from any cause and death from cardiovascular disease during a 15-year follow-up. It calculated running was associated with a three-year increase in life expectancy. The study also found short duration running (less than 51 minutes a week, equivalent to less than approximately seven minutes a day) or running at slow speeds was associated with a reduction in risk. As this was a cohort study, it cannot show running caused the reduction in risk of death. It is possible there were other differences between runners and n...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 29, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Over-60s exercise claim based on just 12 people
Conclusion This small preliminary study indicated high intensity training (two sessions per week for six weeks) improved blood pressure, aerobic fitness and mobility in and out of a chair, compared with a control group of 12 people over the age of 60. While this research is promising, there are a number of limitations to be aware of. We don't know anything about what the control group were asked to do. For example, control groups are often given lifestyle advice as part of an incentive to take part in studies and are otherwise free to continue whatever lifestyle habits they had before, but we don't know if this was the c...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 28, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Older people Source Type: news

Over-60s 'benefit from bursts of intense exercise'
Conclusion This small preliminary study indicated high intensity training (two sessions per week for six weeks) improved blood pressure, aerobic fitness and mobility in and out of a chair, compared with a control group of 12 people over the age of 60. While this research is promising, there are a number of limitations to be aware of. We don't know anything about what the control group were asked to do. For example, control groups are often given lifestyle advice as part of an incentive to take part in studies and are otherwise free to continue whatever lifestyle habits they had before, but we don't know if this was the c...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 28, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Older people Source Type: news

'More adults should be taking statins,' says NICE
Conclusion Despite somewhat hysterical media coverage to the contrary ("millions more to be given statins," according to the Daily Express), nobody will be forced to take statins. If your GP does recommend statins, you should ask them to explain the benefits and risks for you personally of starting statin treatment. You may want to find out more about statins before making up your mind – the NHS Choices Health A-Z information on statins is a good place to start. If you do experience troublesome side effects while taking statins, contact your GP or the doctor in charge of your care. It could be the case that a...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 18, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medication QA articles Source Type: news

Cycling linked to prostate cancer, but not infertility
Conclusion This study has looked at the associations between the number of hours spent cycling a week and erectile dysfunction, infertility and prostate cancer in men over the age of 50 who cycle regularly. It found no association between the time spent cycling and erectile dysfunction or infertility, but did find a dose-response association with prostate cancer for men over the age of 50, with risk increasing as the time a week spent cycling increased. As the researchers point out, this type of study cannot prove causality (that increased cycling time leads to prostate cancer), only an association. Different study desig...
Source: NHS News Feed - July 9, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

Stress 'causes damage to the heart,' study finds
Conclusion This research investigates the widely held perceived wisdom that psychological stress is associated with coronary heart disease. It found 29 medical residents working in a stressful intensive care unit setting had increased levels of white blood cells, which form part of the immune system. The researchers also found exposing mice to chronic stress similarly increased their levels of certain white blood cells. When they examined the bone marrow of stressed mice, they found this increase in the number of white blood cells seemed to be mediated by an increase in the activity of hematopoietic stem cells, which prod...
Source: NHS News Feed - June 23, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Mental health Source Type: news

Can a 'microwave helmet' really detect strokes?
Conclusion This study has shown that haemorrhagic strokes could potentially be distinguished from ischaemic strokes by analysing microwave scattering measurements. While the two types of stroke can already be accurately diagnosed by CT or MRI scans in hospital, the “microwave helmet” development is important because it could potentially be used before someone arrives in hospital. This would avoid any time delay and allow people with ischaemic stroke to receive the anti-clotting medication that they need as soon as possible, potentially reducing the extent of damage the stroke causes. The technique isn’t perfect ye...
Source: NHS News Feed - June 17, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Medical practice Source Type: news