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Total 273 results found since Jan 2013.

Tomato extract's heart effects exaggerated
ConclusionThis study found that the blood vessels in people with cardiovascular disease who were taking statins dilated more after they were treated with a chemical called acetylcholine if they had been taking lycopene every day for two months, compared to those taking placebo pills.The lycopene tablet had no significant effect on any of the other outcomes the researchers looked at, and no effect in healthy volunteers, although it did increase lycopene levels in the blood.  Although impaired endothelial function is a known predictor of future heart disease, this is, at best, a surrogate outcome. It is no substitute for fo...
Source: NHS News Feed - June 10, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news

Tomato extract effects exaggerated
ConclusionThis study found that the blood vessels in people with cardiovascular disease who were taking statins dilated more after they were treated with a chemical called acetylcholine if they had been taking lycopene every day for two months, compared to those taking placebo pills.The lycopene tablet had no significant effect on any of the other outcomes the researchers looked at, and no effect in healthy volunteers, although it did increase lycopene levels in the blood.  Although impaired endothelial function is a known predictor of future heart disease, this is, at best, a surrogate outcome. It is no substitute for fo...
Source: NHS News Feed - June 10, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news

One in three adults in England 'has prediabetes'
Conclusion This study indicates that there had been an increase between 2003 and 2011 in the proportion of people aged 16 or older with prediabetes, with more than a third of adults in 2011 having prediabetes. The study is useful because it is based on information from the Health Survey for England (HSE), which sampled a representative sample of the English population. However, the researchers defined prediabetes using cut-offs used by the American Diabetes Association (5.7-6.4%), but in the UK NICE recommends higher cut-offs to identify people at high risk of diabetes (6.0-6.4%). There are several ways you can reduce you...
Source: NHS News Feed - June 10, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Medical practice Source Type: news

Air pollution linked to irregular heartbeat and lung blood clots
Conclusion This was a large national study that looked in detail at links between people's short-term exposure to air pollutants and national records on hospital admissions for heart attack, emergency admissions for all cardiovascular problems, and deaths from cardiovascular disease. The study had some limitations – for example, as the authors say, it did not include heart attacks that took place before hospital admission. It also used fixed monitoring sites, which may not accurately reflect personal exposure to air pollution.  For the public, the results of this study are probably confusing. That's because the resear...
Source: NHS News Feed - June 5, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Source Type: news

NICE: 'Obese should be prescribed slimming clubs'
“GPs told to prescribe £100 slimming courses for millions of obese patients,” the Daily Mail reports. The news is based on new guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) that aim to encourage sustainable weight loss in the obese; “lose a little, and keep it off”. The guidance is mainly aimed at commissioners (who plan and agree which services will be provided in the NHS and monitor them), health professionals and groups who provide lifestyle weight management programmes. The recommendations may also be of interest to members of the public, including people who are overweight or o...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 28, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Lifestyle/exercise Food/diet Obesity QA articles Source Type: news

Brits eating too much salt, sugar and fat
“Too much sugar, salt and fat: healthy eating still eluding many Britons,” The Guardian reports, while the Daily Mail rather bizarrely warns of a “fruit juice timebomb”. Both papers are covering a major survey that looked at the nation’s eating habits over recent years.The survey found that, overall, adults and children are eating too much saturated fat, added sugar and salt. We are also not getting the recommended levels of fruit, vegetables, oily fish and fibre that our bodies need. Who produced the survey?Public Health England, an agency of the Department of Health, has released data from the National Diet an...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 15, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Food/diet QA articles Source Type: news

ONS suggests that one in four deaths are 'avoidable'
“1 in 4 deaths could have been prevented,” The Times reports. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that 23% of deaths could have been prevented through better care, more effective treatment and healthier living. The news is based on an ONS bulletin titled Avoidable Mortality in England and Wales, 2012 (PDF 186kb). The bulletin provides mortality figures for causes of death that are considered avoidable if timely and effective healthcare is received or healthier lifestyle choices adopted. Figures were provided for the period 2001 to 2012 so that trends can be seen. The bulletin found tha...
Source: NHS News Feed - May 8, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Lifestyle/exercise Cancer QA articles Source Type: news

Heart attack survivors 'gain from high-fibre diet'
Conclusion This was a well-designed study. Although it was a cohort study and so cannot prove causation, attempts were made to analyse the results while taking multiple factors into account. Its strengths include that it used data from a large number of people and measured dietary habits over the previous year, which may be a more accurate assessment than snap-shot 24-hour food questionnaires. However, there will still be room for bias in people's recall and estimates of portion size. There were a few limitations to the study: it was not able to take into account people who suffered from a heart attack and died before ...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 30, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news

PET scans may improve brain injury diagnosis
ConclusionThis is a valuable diagnostic study that tested how accurate PET and fMRI imaging are at distinguishing between different levels of conscious state and helping to predict recovery. Diagnostic assessments are traditionally made using bedside clinical tests – but as the researchers say, judging the level of awareness in people with severe brain damage can be difficult.In particular, the researchers wanted to see whether the scans could accurately distinguish between people with “unresponsive wakefulness syndrome” and “minimally conscious state”, as distinguishing between these two states can have impor...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 16, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Neurology Source Type: news

Cannabis linked to brain differences in the young
Conclusion This study found differences between young recreational cannabis users and non-users in the volume and structure of the nucleus accumbens and amygdala, which have a role in the brain’s reward system, pleasure response, emotion and decision making. However, as this was only a cross sectional study taking one-off brain scans of cannabis users and non-users, it cannot prove that cannabis use was the cause of any of the differences seen. It is not known whether cannabis use could have caused these changes in regular users.   Or conversely whether the cannabis users in this study had this brain structure to sta...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 16, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Mental health Neurology Source Type: news

Salt cuts have 'saved lives,' says study
Conclusion This UK study used serial cross-sectional data collected as part of the Health Survey for England, the National Diet and Nutrition Survey, and the Office for National Statistics between 2003 and 2011. It found that average blood pressure and salt intake fell significantly, and there was a reduction in the number of deaths from stroke and heart disease. The researchers only looked at people who were not taking blood pressure medications or other drugs that might affect blood pressure. After adjusting for some relevant confounders, there was still a significant decrease in blood pressure between 2003 and 2011 (sys...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 15, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Heart/lungs Food/diet Source Type: news

Could statins also protect against dementia?
Conclusion This study using a large, older age, Asian population finds an association between statin use and reduced risk of developing dementia over an average five years of follow-up. The main limitation of this study is that it can demonstrate an association, but it cannot definitely prove cause and effect. The study has adjusted for a number of measured confounders, but this may not fully account for these or other factors (such as lifestyle habits) that may be involved in the relationship.  Also, while the research has used what can be expected to be a fairly reliable research database, there is also the possibility...
Source: NHS News Feed - April 14, 2014 Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Neurology Source Type: news