"Relying upon the death rates of individual surgeons…may lead to 'false complacency'," The Daily Telegraph warns. It reports on an article in The Lancet which argues that recently published NHS data on surgical outcomes is too limited…
Genetic tests could pave way to 'personalised' asthma drugs The Guardian reports while warning that current treatments may make symptoms worse. They report on a study which found that children with certain genes responded better to specific treatments…
“Synthetic cannabis-like molecule developed in lab could help osteoarthritis sufferers,” reports The Daily Telegraph. Anecdotal reports of cannabis’s ability to soothe chronic pain conditions…
"Weight loss drug fools body into reacting as if it has just eaten," The Guardian reports. The drug, fexaramine, replicates signals that are produced when the body begins eating, though it has only been tested in mice…
"Being overweight may not be as unhealthy as it was 40 years ago," BBC News reports. New research has found a body mass index (BMI) of 27 is linked to the lowest rate of death – but someone with a BMI of 27 is currently classed as being overweight...
“Breastfeeding babies improves their chance of climbing the social ladder,” reports The Independent. Previous research has linked breastfeeding to a number of health benefits for the baby, including improved brain function…
A pathologist has confirmed that the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine did not cause the death of Natalie Morton, a schoolgirl from Coventry. Early media speculation
"Menthol cigarettes ARE more addictive," the Mail Online claims, based on a survey of 5,000 teenagers. The 2010-11 Canadian school survey found that 16% of teenagers aged 14 to 18 smoke cigarettes…
Obesity in children was in the headlines today, with most papers reporting that, among children in their final year at primary school, one child in three is overweight or obese. The stories come from the latest figures on children’s weight…