Breast cancer enzyme may slow tumour growth

"Cancer cell enzymes shown to act as 'good cops'," is the headline on the BBC News website. The BBC reports on laboratory research into an enzyme called MMP-8 and its effects on breast cancer. The research reveals that while MMP-8 appears to stimulate the growth of breast cancer cells in the short-term, it may slow tumour growth in the long-term.Scientists are likely to want to explore new

Could open plan offices be bad for your health?

Open plan offices make employees “less productive, less happy, and more likely to get sick” reports the Mail Online website.The article is actually based on a number of studies, but the one we found most interesting was a national survey from 2011, conducted in Denmark, looking at self-reported sick days of open plan workers compared to individual office workers. The study found that peopl

Research could lead to 'universal' flu vaccine

“Scientists create new flu vaccine that works against many different strains of the virus,” The Independent reports. This headline, and several others like it, is based on early stage research into the development of alternative flu vaccine technologies. While the results of this research are promising, they do not mean that a universal flu jab has been developed.The study used a new techn

Do iPads and electric lights disturb sleep?

"Terrible night's sleep? Blame your mobile phone" is the advice on the Mail Online website, as "exposure to artificial light 'fools' the brain into staying awake." This – and similar headlines in the Daily Express, The Guardian and Metro newspapers – is based on a recent opinion piece in the journal Nature, which has published a dedicated supplement on the science of sleep.The opinion piec

Cold weather may increase blood pressure

'Bad weather could raise your blood pressure and even kill you,' is the unnecessarily alarmist headline in the Daily Mail. It reports on a large, complex study that looked for any association between changes in weather and blood pressure rates.The research focused on patients at a blood pressure clinic in Glasgow and looked at two consecutive visits the patients made within a 12-month period.

Could a mother's lack of iodine harm her child's IQ?

“Mothers’ diets may harm IQs of two babies in three,” warns The Independent. The newspaper reports on its front page that iodine deficiency is widespread among pregnant women. Iodine is recognised to play a role in the healthy development of the baby’s brain and nervous system while in the womb and the World Health Organization recommends that pregnant women eat iodine-rich foods.Severe la

Claims vitamin B prevents Alzheimer's are unproven

'Should you be taking vitamin B to protect against Alzheimer's?,' asks the Daily Mail.Its question is prompted by new research into whether a daily dose of vitamin B could reduce the loss of brain tissue in people with mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment is thought to be a risk factor for developing Alzheimer’s disease.The researchers were particularly interested in the ef

Sharing a bed with your baby ups risk of cot death

"Bed-sharing 'raises cot death risk fivefold'," BBC News reports. The news has featured in much of the media, with headlines based on a large analysis of previous studies into the risk of cot death, or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), associated with bed-sharing. Bed-sharing is where babies sleep in the same bed as their parents. It has long been known that bed-sharing with a parent who s

Job stress may raise our 'bad cholesterol' levels

'A stressful job really can kill you – by raising your cholesterol,' reports the Mail Online website. This headline is based on Spanish research that looked at the relationship between job stress and lipid (fat) levels in the blood of more than 90,000 people. The research found that people who reported difficulties coping with their job had higher levels of what has been dubbed "bad cholester

Vitamin D may help treat severe asthma

”Sunshine vitamin 'may treat asthma'”, BBC News informs us, as a new lab-based study suggests vitamin D could help control symptoms of severe asthma.Asthma is caused by inflammation of the airways, related to malfunctioning of the body’s immune system. In theory, the immune system mistakes harmless substances, such as dust mites, as a threat and triggers inflammation of the lungs and airways

Rise in number of unpaid carers and young carers

"Children are picking up the caring roles the state has abandoned," The Guardian says, while The Independent says that 180,000 children work as unpaid carers.These new figures come from the Office for National Statistics, which has pulled together data on unpaid care in England and Wales from the 2011 census.The census (which has been carried out every 10 years since the middle of the nine

Time-lapse technique may boost success rate of IVF

“IVF advance triples couples' chances of having a baby”, The Daily Telegraph reports. The innovation in question is actually based on an old imaging technique called time-lapse photography, where a camera is set to record a series of images at regular intervals. This technology is now available for monitoring the development of IVF embryos before they are transferred into the womb. The res

Absent fathers linked to depression risk in girls

“Study shows girls with absent fathers more likely to develop depression," the Mail Online has revealed. It reports on a large UK study that found that girls whose biological fathers were absent during the first five years of their childhood had an increased risk of symptoms of depression. No increase in risk was found for girls whose fathers were absent later in childhood, and no increase in

Human embryo stem cells cloning breakthrough

"Human embryonic stem cells created from adult tissue for first time," The Guardian reports, while the Daily Mail's front page leads with the somewhat fanciful warning that new research raises the "spectre of cloned babies".These headlines are based on newly published research into the use of a technique known as somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) as part of embryonic stem cell research. It

Drug combination offers hope for osteoporosis

“Double drug hope for brittle bone sufferers”, reports the Daily Mail.This headline follows a small but well-designed trial of treatments for postmenopausal osteoporosis. As women go through the menopause, levels of the hormone oestrogen begin to fall. This drop in oestrogen can lead to a thinning and weakening of the bones, increasing the risk of broken bones (fractures).While current tre

'Broken' body clock may be linked to depression

"Depressed people are out of sync with the rest of the world because their body clocks are broken," reports the Mail Online website, while The Independent claims that depressed people live in a "different time zone". The story comes from a study that looked at the activity of genes thought to be involved in regulating the body's internal clock – the innate sense that most people have of the c

Is the rise in neurological deaths due to modern life?

'Technology, food additives and air pollution are causing people to develop dementia earlier than ever,' reports the Mail Online website. But this is a claim with little to no evidence to support it.The study the Mail reports on looked at death rates in 10 developed countries, including the UK and the US. The researchers specifically focused on what they termed "neurological deaths". These ar

Angelina Jolie's surgery to 'reduce breast cancer risk'

Writing in the New York Times, actress Angelina Jolie has announced that she has recently undergone a double mastectomy (where both breasts are surgically removed) followed by breast reconstruction surgery.She writes that this is because genetic testing revealed she had a 87% chance of developing breast cancer in later life, as well as a 50% risk of ovarian cancer. This means she took a decis

Could a good mood make you eat more food?

‘Research has found emotional eaters tend to eat more when happy’, reports the Mail Online website.The news is based on a small study looking at whether experimentally altering mood has an effect on the amount of calories a person eats.The researchers examined the effects on what they describe as ‘emotional eaters’ – people who reported using food as a coping mechanism for emotions.A gr

Novel coronavirus 'limited' spread between people

"WHO warns that a deadly novel coronavirus could be passed from person to person," The Independent reports. The news – featured in much of the media – is based on the latest ‘state of play’ advice from the World Health Organization (WHO) on the novel coronavirus (nCV). However, public health officials in the UK have stated that there is no evidence of 'sustained' transmission (ie. no-one who

No proof that red hair raises skin cancer risk

'Redheads are at increased risk of skin cancer even if they don't spend time in the sun,' is the headline on the Mail Online website. The story refers to a discussion piece in a journal that outlines theories about the results of some animal experiments. This research involved mice genetically engineered to have red fur and predisposed to develop melanoma.Although exposure to ultraviolet (

Young blood may help rejuvenate old hearts

The Daily Mail claims a study has found a ‘Vampire treatment that rejuvenates ageing hearts’.But before you go to grab your cloak and false pointy teeth, the research it reports on was actually in mice.The study looked at possible ways to treat age-related cardiac hypertrophy – when the muscles of the heart become thickened, leading to a corresponding decrease in functioning ability.Res

Pollution may increase diabetes risk

‘Children's exposure to traffic pollution could…lead to diabetes' BBC News explains, reporting on a German study.The study included around 400 children aged 10. Researchers looked at measures of air pollution and proximity to the nearest road at the address each child had lived as a baby.They also measured each child’s blood sugar and insulin levels. The second measurement allowed them

US guidelines recommend CT scans for smokers

Older people with a history of smoking heavily should be offered annual low-dose CT scans to screen for lung cancer according to new US guidelines reported by the Reuters news agency.These guidelines recommend that annual CT (computerised tomography) scans should be offered to current or former smokers aged 55-74 who have smoked 20 cigarettes a day for 30 years or more. However, screening sho

Are the middle classes in denial about alcohol use?

"Middle class professionals… are the country’s biggest problem drinkers," is the stark and somewhat misleading claim in The Daily Telegraph, with similar claims appearing across the UK media. The story is based on a study looking at just 49 ‘white collar’ people’s attitudes towards alcohol consumption. The study involved interviewing five small groups in a ‘focus group’ setting.Researchers

Call for improved safety data on medical implants

The need to improve the safety of medical devices such as hip and breast implants made the headlines today. The Daily Telegraph reports that experts are calling for an end to the "secrecy" surrounding how they are regulated. The story is based on an opinion piece published in the British Medical Journal, which calls for European data on medical devices, including their safety and any adverse

Antibiotics may help ease chronic back pain

News that back pain could be "cured" by antibiotics has prompted wide media coverage, with The Independent reporting that "Half a million sufferers of back pain 'could be cured with antibiotics'." The headlines are based on research into chronic lower back pain that showed some cases may be caused by a bacterial infection. Researchers found evidence that antibiotic treatment of a specific typ

Hungry shoppers may choose unhealthier foods

"Hungry shoppers 'buy more calories'," BBC News reports in a story based on a very small short-term study. The somewhat artificial study examined the effects of people skipping meals due to everything from busy lifestyles to intermittent diets such as the 5:2 diet. These intentional or unintentional fasts may lead to unhealthy food choices being made at the shops. This research looked at whet

No evidence of cure to prevent hair going grey

“Cure for grey hair is on its way say scientists,” the Daily Mirror reports, with The Daily Telegraph adding that grey hair will become ‘a thing of the past’.You may be surprised to learn that the study the media reports on had absolutely nothing to do with grey hair. In fact, the stories were loosely based on a tiny study into what happens in a common skin condition called vitiligo. Vitiligo

Breast cancer rates in under-50s at record high

Much of the UK media are covering the release of data that indicates breast cancer rates in the under-50s are now at a record high. Changes in childbirth patterns and alcohol consumption could be to blame, according to a leading charity.The news follows new data released by Cancer Research UK. Its data shows that breast cancer diagnoses among women aged under 50 have now reached an all-time h