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Does a wife's illness lead to divorce?
Conclusion This US cohort study of older married couples (over the age of 50) finds links between the onset of serious illness in the wife and subsequent divorce, but the same link wasn't found with illness in the husband. Meanwhile, serious illness in either spouse was, rather unsurprisingly, associated with a higher risk of widowhood in a subsequent assessment. This study has the strength of using a large, nationally representative dataset. However, it cannot prove direct causative links, and does not prove that wives are more likely to stick with their spouse during serious physical illness than husbands. Though the st...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 6, 2015 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Mental health Source Type: news

Anti-inflammatory drug may help prevent heart attacks
Conclusion This well-conducted study shows promising signs that canakinumab may reduce the risk of future heart attacks and other cardiovascular events in people who've had them in the past. But before any changes are made to the current licensing of this drug, further research is needed to confirm the beneficial effects and the optimal dose. Most importantly, researchers will need to focus on the observation that the drug lowered white blood cell counts and increased the risk of fatal infection. They estimated around 1 in every 300 people taking canakinumab would die of a fatal infection. This number, while low, is sti...
Source: NHS News Feed - August 30, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Source Type: news

Little proof sunbathing cuts heart attack risk
Conclusion This laboratory study has found that UVA exposure caused a short-term drop in blood pressure and an increase in blood flow. The researchers believe that this is as a result of nitric oxide being released from the skin into the bloodstream. However, the researchers' assertion that this study "has significant public health implications" is open to question. Such a bold statement should probably only be made if further controlled studies are carried out to see whether UVA exposure can reduce the risk of death as a result of cardiovascular disease, and whether UVA exposure can reduce blood pressure in peo...
Source: NHS News Feed - January 21, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Cancer 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

Is red hair gene linked to increased risk of Parkinson's?
Conclusion This study looked at the role the red hair gene MC1R plays in the brains of mice. The findings suggest the gene has a part to play in keeping certain nerve cells in the brain alive. The cells in question are those that die off in Parkinson's disease and cause the condition's characteristic movement problems. These findings in mice are likely to need further investigation in human cells and tissue in lab studies. Exactly what causes brain cells to die, causing Parkinson's disease, is unknown. As with many conditions, it's thought both genetic and environmental factors could play a role. Research like this helps...
Source: NHS News Feed - March 6, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Cancer Genetics/stem cells Source Type: news