Life style

There was welcome news for footy enthusiasts in the Daily Mail today, as the paper reported that “playing football is the best way for middle-aged men to tackle high blood pressure” This headline stems from research looking at previously inactive mid...

There was welcome news for footy enthusiasts in th...

There is “no proof vitamin D stops colds,” BBC News has reported, as “scientists say they can find no convincing evidence to show that taking vitamin D supplements will fend off a cold”. This news comes from a well-designed trial into whether vitamin...

There is “no proof vitamin D stops colds,” BBC New...

“Women smokers who quit before 30 cut death risk by 97%”, The Guardian reports. It goes on to warn that ‘women who smoke into middle-age have three times the death rate of non-smokers and risk dying at least 10 years early’. The news is based on the ...

“Women smokers who quit before 30 cut death risk b...

‘Exercising before breakfast lets you lose extra weight’, the Daily Mail reports, perhaps prompting readers to drop their sausage sarnies and pop out for a jog. However, the Mail’s sweeping headline is actually based on a very small study of just 10 ...

‘Exercising before breakfast lets you lose extra w...

"Lung cancer rates soaring for women after tobacco manufacturers target them by saying smoking helps you stay slim," the Daily Mail claims. Elsewhere, BBC News reports that over the next 30 years the number of women with lung cancer is set to rise si...

"Lung cancer rates soaring for women after tobacco...

'Losing your job can be deadly, because it increases the risk of having a heart attack by up to two-thirds,' The Daily Telegraph reports. The news is based on a US study that examined the association between different aspects of unemployment (such as...

'Losing your job can be deadly, because it increas...

“Looking for a morning brain boost? Forget coffee – green tea holds the key for men”, suggests the Daily Mail. Earlier this month we were told that green tea helps prevent bowel cancer, now new research suggests it could aid memory and cognition (thi...

“Looking for a morning brain boost? Forget coffee ...

Inactivity is “as deadly as smoking” reported the Daily Mail, describing how a lack of exercise is now causing as many deaths as smoking across the world. The headline is based on a study published in the Lancet that estimates the burden of physical ...

Inactivity is “as deadly as smoking” reported the ...

“Yoga helps stroke patients recover balance,” The Daily Telegraph headlines, saying that stroke victims who took an eight-week course of yoga had better balance and felt more able in their lives as a whole. The headline is in fact a deeply unbalanced...

“Yoga helps stroke patients recover balance,” The ...

The Daily Telegraph reports that “vigorous daily exercise could repair damage caused by a heart attack”. It has long been known that the heart muscle can increase in size in response to regular exercise increasing its workload. This has been thought ...

The Daily Telegraph reports that “vigorous daily e...

Medical students are “not taught activity benefits” BBC News has reported, based on a survey checking how many UK medical schools provided their students with information on the health benefits of physical activity. This led The Daily Telegraph to cl...

Medical students are “not taught activity benefits...

"Exercise in midlife protects heart," says BBC News, while the Daily Mail tells us that "gardening, walking and DIY in your fifties can cut risk of heart disease". The news is based on a large study looking at the health of middle-aged people. Resear...

"Exercise in midlife protects heart," says BBC New...

If you smoke, you get less sleep and a “lower quality of rest” than non-smokers do, according to today’s Daily Mail. The links between smoking and serious, potentially fatal conditions (such as lung cancer and heart disease) are well known. But this ...

If you smoke, you get less sleep and a “lower qual...

Being active and living a healthy lifestyle into your 70s can make a huge difference to your life expectancy, the BBC reported today. The story is based on a large Swedish study of people aged 75 and over, which found that those with a healthy lifest...

Being active and living a healthy lifestyle into y...

Walking to a beat could help relieve symptoms of Parkinson’s disease’, the Daily Mail has reported. In reality, this story is based on research that examined how the walking style of 15 healthy people changed in the presence of different types of rhy...

Walking to a beat could help relieve symptoms of P...

“Fish could protect against Alzheimer’s,” reported The Daily Telegraph. Several newspapers said that people who eat baked or grilled fish once a week are up to five times less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. The story is based on an abstract o...

“Fish could protect against Alzheimer’s,” reported...

In 2010, around 43% of cancer cases seen in the UK were caused by lifestyle and environmental factors, according to several news sources today. This equated to around 134,000 cancers caused by potentially avoidable behaviours such as smoking, drinkin...

In 2010, around 43% of cancer cases seen in the UK...

BBC News has reported that there is “strong evidence of a link between exercise and academic performance”. The news service says that a review of previous research found a link, which could be due to exercise increasing the flow of blood and oxygen t...

BBC News has reported that there is “strong eviden...

“Drinking water can help dieters lose at least five per cent of their bodyweight,” the Metro has reported. The story is based on research that hoped to find evidence to support the common sense theory that replacing high calorie drinks with water or ...

“Drinking water can help dieters lose at least fiv...

“Just a few minutes of relatively strenuous exercise can dramatically change a person’s DNA,” according to the Daily Mail. The newspaper said new research has found that 20 minutes of exercise can “crank up the genes needed to burn fat and sugar and ...

“Just a few minutes of relatively strenuous exerci...

Fatal cases of liver disease are rising, according to media reports today. In under a decade there has been a 25% increase in deaths from the condition, with alcohol causing more than a third of total cases. In contrast, other major causes of death, ...

Fatal cases of liver disease are rising, according...