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The G-spot 'doesn't appear to exist', say researchers

2010-01-04T19:18:00.001+07:00

The elusive erogenous zone said to exist in some women may be a myth, say researchers who have hunted for it.

Some are firm believers

Their study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine is the biggest yet, involving 1,800 women, and it found no proof.

The King's College London team believe the G-spot may be a figment of women's imagination, encouraged by magazines and sex therapists.

But sexologist Beverley Whipple who helped popularise the G-spot idea said the work was "flawed".

She said the researchers had discounted the experiences of lesbian or bisexual women and failed to consider the effects of having different sexual partners with different love-making techniques.

The women in the study, who were all pairs of identical and non-identical twins, were asked whether they had a G-spot.

If one did exist, it would be expected that both identical twins, who have the same genes, would report having one.

But this pattern did not emerge and the identical twins were no more likely to share a G-spot than non-identical twins who share only half of their genes.

Mythical

Co-author of the study Professor Tim Spector said: "Women may argue that having a G-spot is due to diet or exercise, but in fact it is virtually impossible to find real traits.

"This is by far the biggest study ever carried out and shows fairly conclusively that the idea of a G-spot is subjective."

Colleague Andrea Burri was concerned that women who feared they lacked a G-spot might feel inadequate, which she says is unnecessary.

"It is rather irresponsible to claim the existence of an entity that has never been proven and pressurise women and men too."

Dr Petra Boynton, a sexual psychologist at University College London, said: "It's fine to go looking for the G-spot but do not worry if you don't find it.

"It should not be the only focus. Everyone is different."

The Gräfenberg Spot, or G-Spot, was named in honour of the German gynaecologist Ernst Gräfenberg who described it over 50 years ago and is said to sit in the front wall of the vagina some 2-5cm up.

Recently Italian scientists claimed they could locate the G-spot using ultrasound scans.

They said they had found an area of thicker tissue among the women reporting orgasms.

But specialists warned there could be other reasons for this difference.

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Late-night teens 'face greater depression risk'

2010-01-02T17:50:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Going to bed earlier protects teenagers against depression and suicidal thoughts, research suggests.

Teenagers need at least nine hours sleep a night, say experts

A US study of 12 to 18-year-olds found those with bedtimes after midnight were 24% more likely to have depression than those who went to bed before 2200.

And those who slept fewer than five hours a night had a 71% higher risk of depression than those who slept eight hours, the journal Sleep reports.

It is estimated 80,000 UK children and young people have depression.

The researchers from Columbia University Medical Center in New York looked at data from 15,500 teenagers collected in the 1990s.

One in 15 of those studied were found to have depression.

As well as the higher risk of depression, those who were set a bedtime by their parents of after midnight were 20% more likely to think about suicide than those whose bedtime was 2200 or earlier.

Those who had less than five hours sleep a night were thought to have a 48% higher risk of suicidal thoughts compared with those who had eight hours of sleep.

Teenagers who reported they "usually get enough sleep" were 65% less likely to be depressed.

Depression and suicidal thoughts were also more likely in girls, older teenagers and in those who had a lower self-perception of how much parents care about them.

Most of the parents of the adolescents in the study set a bedtime of 2200 or earlier.

A quarter set a bedtime of 2400 or later.

On average the teenagers were having seven hours and 53 minutes sleep a night - less than the nine hours recommended at that age.

Study leader Dr James Gangwisch said although it it was possible that youngsters with depression struggle to sleep, the fact that parental set bedtimes were linked with depression suggests that a lack of sleep is somehow underpinning the development of the condition.

He said a lack of sleep could affect emotional brain responses and lead to moodiness that hindered the ability to cope with daily stresses.

This moodiness could affect judgment, concentration and impulse control.

Regular exercise

"Adequate quality sleep could therefore be a preventative measure against depression and a treatment for depression," he added.

Sarah Brennan, chief executive at the mental health charity YoungMinds, said: "Enough sleep, good food and regular exercise and all essential to stay emotionally healthy.

"Nearly 80,000 children and young people suffer with depression, yet we are still failing to provide our young people with the help and support to cope with it and prevent it.

"Providing parents with information about how to look after your body, for example by getting enough sleep, and how to get help if they are worried about their teenager, will ensure problems are tackled early and prevent serious mental health conditions such as depression."

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Home drinkers 'over-pour spirits'

2009-12-31T13:32:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Most people who drink spirits at home pour well over what they would get in a pub when trying to give a single measure, figures suggest.

Men pour considerably larger measures of spirits than women

The government's Know Your Limits Campaign found that among 600 people tested, the average amount poured was 38ml, compared with a standard 25ml.

Those aged 31 to 50 - the most generous pourers - gave an average of 57ml.

For a person thinking they were drinking 7.5 units a week, the extra measures would equate to 17 units.

It could also mean that people wrongly think they are drinking within the NHS recommended limits of two to three units a day for women and three to four units a day for men.

The alcohol industry has been offering free measuring cups with certain mixer drinks this Christmas.

Public health minister Gillian Merron said: "Many of us enjoy a drink, especially at new year.

"But it's easy to get carried away and it's worrying to see just how much more people might be unwittingly pouring for themselves and their friends at home on a regular basis.

"If you want to minimise your risk of diseases like cancer, heart disease and stroke, it's worth paying attention to the size of your measures."

Tests with vodka, gin and whiskey were carried out on 600 people in London, Liverpool and North Shields at the beginning of December.

Adults between 18 and 65, who were regular home drinkers, were asked to pour what spirit measures they would normally pour at home, with or without ice cubes.

Men pour more

When asked to pour how much they thought a single 25ml shot would be, the average amount poured was 38ml, with the highest amount measuring 182ml.

Men poured considerably more than women, 43ml compared with 32ml.

The experiments also suggest that the size of your wine glass really does matter.

When asked to pour the equivalent of one unit into a large (250ml) wine glass, the average amount poured was 157ml - almost exactly twice the correct amount of 76.25ml.

In a smaller wine glass (175ml) , it was 131ml, which is still 55ml more than the correct standard measure.

The drinks company Diageo gave away more than 60,000 free metal unit measures in supermarkets earlier this year to help consumers get their measures right.

And have given a further 300,000 measures out in Scotland over the last two years.

Some Schweppes mixer drinks have also had bottle caps adapted to be measures this Christmas.

Jeremy Beadles, chief executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, said: "It is important that people understand how much they are drinking and the easiest way is to ensure that you have a wine and spirit measure at home.

"These are readily available and indeed during the last year both producers and retailers have run promotions to offer them free to shoppers."

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Music therapy 'may help cut tinnitus noise levels'

2009-12-29T16:00:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Individually designed music therapy may help reduce the noise levels experienced by people who suffer from tinnitus, say German researchers.

Tinnitus causes ringing, buzzing, roaring, hissing or whistling

They altered participants' favourite music to remove notes which matched the frequency of the ringing in their ears.

After a year of listening to the modified music, individuals reported a drop in the loudness of their tinnitus.

The researchers said the "inexpensive" treatment could be used alongside other techniques to relieve the condition.

It is thought that around 1-3% of the population have chronic ringing in their ears which is significant enough to reduce their overall quality of life.

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers said although the cause of tinnitus remains unknown, it has been shown that the part of the brain that processes sounds is frequently disrupted in people with the condition.

The theory behind the new technique is that removing the spectrum of noise associated with tinnitus from the music reduces activity in the brain relating to that frequency, alleviating the condition.

Therapy

The 39 patients who took part in the study all had chronic tinnitus for an average of five years but had no other hearing problems.

They were split into three groups and were offered either the modified music therapy, a dummy version of music therapy or usual treatment.

Participants listened to the music for an average of 12 hours a week and by the end of the study, those who had been given the tailored music reported a significant drop in the level of the ringing they heard compared with those listening to the dummy version.

Study leader Dr Christo Pantev, from Westphalian Wilhelms University in Munster, said the approach specifically targeted the part of the brain responsible for tinnitus.

"The notched music approach can be considered as enjoyable, low cost, and presumably causal treatment that is capable of specifically reducing tinnitus loudness.

"It could significantly complement widely-used and rather indirect psychological treatment strategies."

Dr Ralph Holmes, director of biomedical research at deaf and hard of hearing charity, RNID, said he would look in detail at the findings.

"While we find it encouraging there is new investment in treatment for tinnitus, we know there is no proven 'cure'.

"This seems to be similar to tinnitus retraining therapy which is one of the most common ways of managing the condition."

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Chefs lead on unhealthy habits

2009-12-26T19:46:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Chefs appear to have more unhealthy habits than any other profession while those in advertising are near paragons of virtue, a survey suggests.

This looks healthy - but what does the chef eat when he gets home?

The poll of 3,000 workers found chefs smoked the most and consumed two snacks of crisps or chocolate most days.

Farmers also fared poorly, smoking on average over 50 cigarettes and consuming 14 snacks each week.

But the ad man smoked just nine cigarettes and drank in moderation, closely followed by the teacher.

UNHEALTHIEST PROFESSIONS

Chef

Farmer

Electrician

Insurance worker

Builder

Banker

Call centre worker

Truck driver

Engineer

Travel agent

Some 3,000 workers - including more than 100 chefs, were questioned in an online poll carried out by healthcare insurer Medicash as to their eating, drinking and smoking habits.

On the heels of chefs and farmers came electricians, insurance workers and builders. Truck driver and call centre workers also made it into the top ten of unhealthiest professions.

Teachers meanwhile were not far behind those who work in advertising, while lawyers and secretaries also fared well.

Taken together, those polled consumed six alcoholic drinks and smoked 21 cigarettes per week. They enjoyed at least one snack a day, and had one take-away or ready meal a week.

HEALTHIEST PROFESSIONS

Ad rep

Teacher

Human resources assistant

Accountant

Lawyer

Secretary

IT worker

Researcher

Nurse

Shop assistant

''It may be surprising to see chefs at the top of the list, since you would expect them to be in the know when it comes to preparing a nice, healthy meal," said Peter Lauris of Medicash.

''But in reality, it's probably the last thing they feel like doing when they get home from work. After spending the day in the kitchen for work, I imagine they simply want to put their feet up when they get in at night."

Miles Quest of the British Hospitality Association said the findings in relation to the chefs should be treated with some scepticism.

"Most chefs eat a reasonable meal at work based on what is in the kitchen, so I'm not sure they're always popping ready meals in the oven when they get home. As for smoking, my overwhelming impression is that rates have fallen.

"Having said that there is no doubt that it is a pressured profession, working in a hot kitchen in what can be quite stressful conditions. But I do think most chefs make an effort to lead a healthy lifestyle as far as possible."

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Elderly patients 'over-treated' for high blood pressure

2009-12-24T19:52:00.000+07:00

BBC News

Elderly patients are being treated too aggressively for high blood pressure, researchers claim.

More treatment did not save more lives overall

They say the "oldest olds", meaning patients aged 80 plus, are being given too many drugs and in too large doses, which may do them more harm than good.

The Cochrane scientists who looked at the available data say doctors can set their targets lower for octogenarians.

This makes good economic and clinical sense given the expanding elderly population, they told bmj.com.

But doctors said high blood pressure is largely under-recognised and under-treated in the UK.

Growing need

Experts say the "oldest olds" are the fastest growing sector of the world's population.

According to latest estimates, the UK population of 85-year-olds will go up by a third by 2020.

And more than half of these will need treatment for high blood pressure, the British Medical Journal reports.

UK and US guidelines recommend that people over 80 should receive the same blood pressure treatment as people of any other age. This means using combinations of drugs to reach a target blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg.

But head of the Cochrane research group, Dr James Wright, says clinicians should change what they are presently doing and move towards a more conservative approach for the over 80s.

"I have done so with my patients," he said.

'Less better'

His review of existing studies, including data from two new trials which looked specifically at the effect of blood pressure drugs in this age group, found little evidence that aggressive treatment saves more lives.

Although fewer patients died of strokes, the total number of deaths from all causes was unchanged.

The only trial that found a significant reduction in overall mortality was the most conservative in terms of number of drugs and dose of drugs allowed.

Based on the findings, he suggests a target blood pressure of 150/80 mmHg is more sensible, and says doctors should not be worried if only half of their most elderly patients achieve it.

Professor Peter Weissberg, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "Most sensible GPs - which most GPs are - take a pretty cautious view to doling out drugs to old people.

"Hypertension is still largely under-treated. By and large, in the UK population, half of people with high blood pressure are not identified.

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Whisky hangover 'worse than vodka', study suggests

2009-12-21T19:53:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Drinking whisky will result in a worse hangover than vodka, according to research by US scientists.

Whisky produces a bad hangover

The reason might lie in the number of molecules called "congeners" which it contains compared to vodka, the Brown University team said.

But the study also suggested that sticking to vodka all night rather than whisky would not improve your performance at work the next day.

The study is published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research.

The 95 volunteers for the research, all healthy alcohol users, had one night of "acclimatisation" before drinking either whisky or vodka the following night.

They were given enough alcohol to put them a third over the legal driving limit for the UK.

On the third night they were given a "placebo" drink containing no alcohol.

On each occasion, they were then asked how they felt the following day, and were tested on how well they could concentrate on tasks.

The volunteers who drank whisky reported far more hangover symptoms such as headache nausea, thirst and fatigue compared with those who drank vodka.

However, the overall performance at the concentration task was roughly the same between the two groups.

Professor Damaris Rohsenow, who led the research at Brown University in Rhode Island, said: "While people felt worse, they didn't perform worse after bourbon (a type of whisky made in the US) than after vodka."

He said that the study also showed that workers in "safety-sensitive" roles could be impaired by drinking - long after the alcohol itself had disappeared from the bloodstream.

Chemical trace

The study, which also monitored sleeping patterns in the volunteers, found that disrupted sleep was no worse in either group.

The reason why whisky might cause more unpleasant hangovers might lie in the number of molecules called "congeners" which it contains compared to vodka, said Professor Rohsenow.

These include small amounts of chemicals such as acetone, acetaldehyde and tannins.

Chris Sorek, the chief executive of charity Drinkaware, said that social drinkers should be aware that no alcoholic drink removed the risk of a hangover.

He said: "Christmas is a time to socialise and celebrate, but many people will be drinking excessively - drinking too much of any alcoholic drink can have a number of undesirable short and long-term effects."

While exceeding recommended daily limits might mean hangovers the following day, he said, in the long term, regular heavy drinking could increase the risk of cancer or liver disease.

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MS progress slowed by giving birth, Belgian doctors say

2009-12-18T18:30:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Giving birth seems to slow the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS), Belgian and Dutch researchers say.

Women who had given birth before or after developing MS were 34% less likely to become seriously disabled

The researchers tracked 330 women with MS for 18 years and found that among those who had children, severe disability took longer to develop.

Writing in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, they say previous studies have suggested a worsening of MS just after birth.

But the MS Society said the study was flawed and further research was needed.

MS is a long-term inflammatory condition of the central nervous system.

It affects the transfer of messages from the nervous system to the rest of the body.

Women are twice as likely to develop MS as men and many of the new cases will be among women of childbearing age.

The researchers from Belgium and the Netherlands said all the women had been referred to one specialist centre and had had their first symptoms from the ages of 22 to almost 38.

Nearly a quarter of the women (24%) were childless; 170 had given birth before their symptoms developed (52%); 61 had their children after their symptoms developed (18%); and 19 had had children both before and afterwards (6%).

'Speed of progression'

The researchers used the Kurtzke Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) which runs from one to 10, where 10 is death from MS and six is when an individual needs a cane, a crutch or a brace to walk 100m.

After an average of 18 years living with MS, over half the women (55%) were categorised as EDSS six.

They found that both the likelihood and speed of progression were affected by childbirth.

Women who had given birth to one or more children at any point before or after the start of MS symptoms were 34% less likely to progress to EDSS six than childless women.

Women whose children had been born after their MS began were 39% less likely to progress to EDSS six than women who had not had children.

They said this held true even after taking account of the age at which symptoms began.

Women who had no children after their MS symptoms started progressed to EDSS six within 13 to 15 years on average.

But women who did have children took an average of 22 to 23 years to reach this stage.

'Beneficial effect'

Dr Maria D'hooghe, from the National MS Centre in Melsbroek, Belgium, which co-ordinated the study, said it had shown for the first time the long-term effects of having a baby if you have MS.

She said: "It's possible that the hormones released in pregnancy are having a beneficial effect on the immune system.

"Certainly, animal studies show that pregnancy can lead to less damage in their brains.

"The other possibility is that it is lifestyle changes caused by having a baby that are delaying the effects of MS perhaps through increased activity or changes in the way we deal with stress."

But Dr Susan Kohlhaas, research communications officer for the MS Society, said it was a small study and they had not taken account of the fact that women with more severe MS may choose not to get pregnant because they are worried about a relapse or about taking care of a baby during a relapse.

She said: "It is difficult to form any meaningful conclusions from this research given the small size of the study and its flaws, but further studies will hopefully clarify the effects of pregnancy in women with MS."

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MP3 players face noise limits recommended by EU

2009-12-17T11:52:00.001+07:00

BBC News

The European Commission is calling for a suggested maximum volume to be set on MP3 players, to protect users' hearing.

Scientific experts say the maximum setting should be 85 decibels

The commission wants all MP3 players sold in the EU, including iPods, to share the same volume limits.

This follows a report last year warning that up to 10m people in the EU face permanent hearing loss from listening to loud music for prolonged periods.

EU experts want the default maximum setting to be 85 decibels, according to BBC One's Politics Show.

Users would be able to override this setting to reach a top limit of 100 decibels.

In January, a two-month consultation of all EU standardisation bodies will begin on these proposals, with a final agreement expected in the spring.

Some personal players examined in testing facilities have been found to reach 120 decibels, the equivalent of a jet taking off, and no safety default level currently applies, although manufacturers are obliged to print information about risks in the instruction manuals.

Modern personal players are seen as more dangerous than stationary players or old-fashioned cassette or disk players because they can store hours of music and are often listened to while in traffic with the volume very high to drown out outside noise.

Dr Robin Yeoh, an audiology consultant at the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust, said: "More and more young people are referred to me by their GPs with tinnitus or hearing loss as a direct result to exposure to loud music.

"It's the sort of damage that in the old days would have come from industrial noise.

"The damage is permanent and will often play havoc with their employment opportunities and their personal lives."

'Personal choice'

DigitalEurope, the Brussels-based body representing the industry, agrees safety must be improved.

But according to their spokesman Tony Graziano, "the solution must lie in a balance between safety and enjoyment of the product by the consumer".

"Eighty five decibels would not be appropriate because noise coming from traffic, engines and so on would obliterate the sound," he said.

Conservative MEP Martin Callanan, who sits on the European Parliament's Environment, Public Health and Food Safety Committee, said: "Kids have always listened to their music loud and this is not going to stop them."

He added: "You have to educate them to the risks but ultimately you have to allow personal responsibility and personal choice."

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French fight flab with cookery lessons

2009-12-16T07:30:00.002+07:00

By David Chazan
BBC News, Paris
It's a typically French approach to shedding the surplus kilos.

A leading public hospital in Paris is teaching patients being treated for obesity how to cook.

And instead of being put on a diet, they are told it's OK to sit down to a three-course meal - especially with family or friends.

But snacking and TV dinners are out.

Fat isn't something you would normally associate with the French. But the global obesity epidemic hasn't spared the country renowned for exquisite cuisine - and rates are rising.

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"Enjoying food, variety in food, the culture of food are the best defences against obesity," says Dr Arnaud Basdevant, head of the nutrition department at the Pitie-Salpetriere Hospital in Paris.

"When you really enjoy good quality food, it sounds strange but you tend to eat less."

Patients in Dr Basdevant's department learn to make classic French dishes. The only difference is that they're shown how to use water instead of oil or butter, but still achieve a tasty result.

Sugar and even cream are allowed in small quantities. But the emphasis is on balanced meals and nutritionists at the hospital have devised a full set of recipes to guide them.

The doctors say this system won't make anyone stick-thin, but combined with regular exercise it will help to get obese and overweight people down to a healthier weight.

Patients are taught to use water instead of oil or butter

"Our approach isn't to restrict people or to put France on a diet," Dr Basdevant says.

"On the contrary, we try to keep the variety, the pleasure and the conviviality, with high-quality products."

The health ministry says about one in six French people is now obese.

That is less than in many other countries. In the UK, for example, it is around one in four and in the US about one in three.

Dr Basdevant says one reason why obesity rates are lower here is "probably because France has held on to more structured eating habits and didn't move to fast food as early as Britain, for example".

Sarkozy's example

But the French do have a taste for fast food. France is the second most profitable market after the US for McDonald's restaurants.

And with obesity increasing, President Nicolas Sarkozy is planning a major new campaign to combat the nation's expanding waistlines in the New Year.Read more...

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Body clock link to heart disease

2009-12-14T07:21:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Scientists have raised the possibility that cardiovascular disease is linked to disturbances in the body's 24-hour clock.

High blood pressure is linked to heart disease

Working on mice, the Japanese team found a genetic risk factor for a form of high blood pressure is influenced by 24-hour or circadian rhythms.

The study appears online in the journal Nature Medicine.

Malfunctions in the body clock - which influences much of the body's chemistry - have been linked to many diseases.

And lead researcher Professor Hitoshi Okamura said the latest study was in line with data which suggested shift workers, long-distance flight crews and people with sleep disorders have a heightened risk of heart problems.

High blood pressure - known as hypertension - can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, and many other medical problems.

Many genes have been identified as being essential elements making up the circadian clock.

For example, mice lacking a pair of molecules known as cryptochromes have an abnormal circadian rhythm.

The latest study, by Kyoto University, found these mice were vulnerable to high blood pressure because of abnormally high levels of a hormone called aldosterone that prompts water retention in the kidneys.

Strong correlation

The researchers showed that the circadian clock directly controls a gene that plays a key role in production of the hormone.

The researchers say a similar gene is found in humans.

They stress more work is needed to determine whether a misfiring circadian clock can lead to high blood pressure in humans.

But Professor Okamura said the research raised the prospect of new ways to treat hypertension.

Professor Bryan Williams, an expert in hypertension at the University of Leicester, described the study as "fascinating".

He said: "We know that there is a strong correlation between time of day and cardiovascular events, which often coincide with the early morning surge in blood pressure.

"So this does provide some insights into the mechanism that might underpin blood pressure deregulation in some people."

Professor Williams said some people with high blood pressure were known to have high levels of aldosterone.

But he added: "What we don't know is how common this mutation might be in human hypertension."

Professor Jeremy Pearson, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: "Hypertension is common, but the genes controlling blood pressure are not well understood.

"Their identification will help design better treatments for high blood pressure."

But he also stressed more research was needed before it became clear whether the study had identified a potential target for new treatments.

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Heart attacks fall after smoking ban, report says

2009-12-12T17:02:00.001+07:00

BBC News

The number of people suffering heart attacks has reduced since the smoking ban in Wales began, a report by the chief medical officer has found.

Smoking still costs the NHS £127 for each person, the report says

But in his annual report, Dr Tony Jewell said smoking still cost the NHS £127 for each person and binge drinking and obesity also need tackling.

He said NHS cash was best spent on avoiding chronic diseases developing.

Figures also showed fewer children were being injured by cars, with Wales three years ahead of a target reduction.

The number of suicides had also fallen.

Dr Jewell's annual report Preventing the Preventable pointed to statistics which showed the number of hospital admissions for heart attacks in 2007/2008 had fallen by 3.7% on the previous year, down from 4,324 to 4,164.

He said although the decline could not be wholly attributed to the smoking ban, some studies suggested at least some of the reduction was due to the ban on smoking in public places, which was brought in in April 2007.

He said research for the Welsh Assembly Government found "clear evidence" of a reduction in exposure to smoking environments, while it was "encouraging" smoking had not shifted to the home or increased exposure to children.

Among other successes for the year was a reduction in the number of children under 14 being knocked down and injured in car incidents, meaning a target of no more than 392 injuries per year by 2012 had already been achieved.

The number of deaths from strokes in 65 to 74-year-olds also fell, with targets for 2012 again surpassed. The current rate is 122 per 100,000 people.

Suicide rates across all age groups have also fallen.

Dr Jewell wants more attention in healthcare placed on immunisation, screening and education.

Dr Jewell said: "With the increase of chronic conditions in an ageing society in Wales, money would be better spent on trying to promote health and prevent people getting chronically ill in the first place rather than being forced to spend increasing amounts on treatment.

"A broad estimate suggests that around £94 per Welsh citizen is spent per year on prevention activities - that's only around five per cent of the Welsh health budget - while the cost of smoking alone to the NHS is £127 per citizen a year.

"We need to educate and empower people to make healthy lifestyle choices. It is as much the responsibility of society as a whole to help improve people's health as it is that of the NHS. We need to make healthy choices the easy choices."

He said more focus was needed in looking at risk factors, with GPs becoming as interested in patients who don't attend check-ups, as well as those who do.

'Keep up good work'

Dr Jewell also pointed to the financial crisis of 2008 as an "ongoing threat" to people's health when combined with long-lasting deprivation.

Health Minister Edwina Hart said the restructuring of the NHS in Wales had been designed to shift the balance of care from hospitals to primary and community based settings.

Chris Mulholland from the British Lung Foundation Wales said they had "to keep up the good work" done encouraging people not to smoke and to take exercise.

He also called for better rehabilitation services to prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.

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What's my brain's motivation?

2009-12-10T11:05:00.002+07:00

By Nick Higham
Today programme
BBC News

For an actor, the performance conditions weren't exactly ideal: flat on her back in a large machine, under strict instructions to lie as still as possible, speaking in short bursts interspersed with the shrill sound of a magnetic resonance imaging scanner.

But last week Fiona Shaw, one of Britain's leading actresses - who has in her time played everything from the tragic heroine Medea to Shakespeare's Richard II - volunteered in the cause of science to spend an hour having her brain scanned while "acting".

Professor Sophie Scott of the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London wanted to know what happens physically in an actor's head when they pretend to be someone else.

She hoped that scanning Fiona's brain in action would be able to tell us.

The scanner works by measuring blood flow to different parts of the brain. The harder a part is working, the more blood flows into it.

The parts of the brain that control speech are well known: what Prof Scott wanted to know was whether other parts of the brain would also "light up" when actors speak in character rather than as themselves.

The results of the experiment will be on display as part of the Wellcome Collection's new exhibition on identity.

Prof Scott, who is also a Wellcome senior fellow, says our speech and the way we use language are important components of our identity - and one of the ways actors seek to convince their audience that they are another person is of course by changing their voice. Read more...

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Obesity gene discovery 'may cut cases blamed on abuse'

2009-12-07T09:32:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Scientists have discovered what they believe is a genetic cause of severe obesity in children.

Child obesity levels have been rising for decades

The team concluded that the loss of a key segment of DNA can be to blame.

It said the findings might improve diagnosis of severe obesity - which on occasion has been wrongly attributed to abusive overfeeding.

The study, of 300 children with severe obesity by the University of Cambridge and the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, appears in Nature.

Some of the children in the study had been formally placed on the social services 'at risk' register on the assumption that their parents were deliberately overfeeding them. They have now been removed from the register.

Obesity is increasing throughout the world and is recognised as a major global public health concern.

Although much of the problem is due to lifestyle factors such as an unhealthy diet, and lack of exercise, some cases are thought to be down to genetics.

The latest study examined each child's entire genome, looking for deletions or duplications of DNA, known as copy number variants (CNVs).

Experts increasingly believe these CNVs play an important role in genetic disease.

Genome scan

By comparing the DNA profile of obese children with others of a normal weight they found certain parts of the genome were missing in the obese group.

In particular they zeroed in on a missing part of chromosome 16 which seemed to have a strong link to severe obesity.

Researcher Dr Sadaf Farooqi said: "Our results suggest that one particular gene on chromosome 16 called SH2B1 plays a key role in regulating weight and also in handling blood sugar levels.

"People with deletions involving this gene had a strong drive to eat and gained weight very easily.

"It adds to the growing weight of evidence that a wide range of genetic variants can produce a strong drive to eat.

"We hope that this will alter attitudes and practices amongst those with professional responsibility for the health and well-being of children."

Dr Matt Hurles, who also worked on the study, said: "This is the first evidence that copy number variants have been linked to a metabolic condition such as obesity.

"They are already known to cause other disorders such as autism and learning difficulties."

Dr Ian Campbell, medical director of the charity Weight Concern, stressed most children did not have significant genetic factors that predisposed them to obesity, and that lifestyle, diet and exercise remained important.

But he added that the causes of obesity - and the potential solutions - were complex.

He said: "The fact that several of the study children have been taken out of social care and returned to their parents as a result is disturbing in itself and must surely put an end to the claims by some that childhood obesity is a simple case of parental abuse.

"It clearly isn't. These families need our support."

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Mobile phones 'have not increased brain cancers'

2009-12-05T15:34:00.001+07:00

BBC News

There has been no substantial change in the number of adult brain tumours since mobile phone usage sharply increased in the mid-1990s, Danish scientists say.

A biological mechanism that could explain the potential effects of mobile phone radiation has not been identified

The Danish Cancer Society looked at the rates of brain tumours among 20 to 79 year olds from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

They found that trends in cancer rates had not altered from the period before mobiles were introduced.

But they say longer follow-up studies are needed.

The research, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, says radio frequency electromagnetic fields emitted from mobile phones have been proposed as a risk factor for brain tumours, but a biological mechanism that could explain the potential effects has not been identified.

Cancer incidence

The study was based on 59,684 brain tumour cases diagnosed over 30 years from 1974 to 2003 among 16 million adults.

During this time, the incidence rate of cancers known as gliomas increased gradually by 0.5% per year among men and by 0.2% per year among women.

For cancers known as meningioma, the incidence rate increased by 0.8% among men and, after the early 1990's, by 3.8% among women.

This more rapid change for women was driven, the researchers say, by the 60-79 year age group.

Isabelle Deltour, of the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen who led the study said the lack of a detectable increase in tumour rates up to 2003 may suggest that the time it takes for cancer to develop from mobile phone use is longer than 10 years of exposure or that the number of tumours it promotes is too small to be detected.

She said: "Our results extend those of previous studies of time trends up to 1998 by adding five years of follow-up.

"Because of the high prevalence of mobile phone exposure in this population and worldwide, longer follow-up of time trends in brain tumour incidence is warranted."

Further research

Dr Alison Ross, Cancer Research UK's senior science information officer, agreed that further research was needed: "Overall, the scientific evidence tells us that using mobile phones for less than 10 years does not increase the risk of cancer and this large study supports that conclusion.

"However, brain tumours often take a very long time to develop so we will need to look for any future changes in incidence rates to see if mobile phones could pose any longer-term risks."

Mike Dolan, of the Mobile Operators Association which represents all five UK network operators said: "This finding is consistent with previous studies in this field and will form part of the overall body of scientific research.

"The UK mobile phone operators are supporting a large cohort study which is a recommendation of this paper."

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'Higher risk' of lung cancer from smoking first thing

2009-12-04T10:14:00.001+07:00

BBc News

Smokers who light up on waking display higher levels of nicotine than those who wait, regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked, US research shows.

It is the time of day you light up which seems important

Scientists measured smokers' levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine which has been shown to reflect the risk of developing lung cancer.

Waiting until you had eaten breakfast reduced the amount of this chemical.

The team from Penn State College says their study suggests the earlier smokers may need more help to give up.

The reasons for the differing levels were unclear, but are thought likely to reflect a more intense way of smoking among those who light up first thing - as their need may be greater than those who can wait.

More than 250 healthy people who smoked every day were included in the study, which was published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Waking desire

Among smokers who consumed 20 cigarettes each day, cotinine levels varied dramatically - with the top levels nearly 75 times higher than the lowest levels.

The highest levels were seen among those who lit up within 30 minutes of waking - categorised as high dependency.

"These people may require a more intensive intervention than other smokers to help them quit smoking on a sustained or permanent basis," said report author Joshua Muscat, professor of public health at Penn State College of Medicine.

"Not all smokers are the same and approaches to smoking reduction may need to account for individual smoking behaviours such as the intensity and frequency of puffing, cravings, and physiological symptoms."

A spokesperson for the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation welcomed the research, which it said would help further understanding of smoking habits and addiction to tobacco.

"It is however a small study (252 participants), and therefore the findings should be taken with caution, and we are not entirely sure that any major conclusions on the future of smoking cessation can be made from this.

"We concur with the authors that more research is needed in this area."

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Officials dismiss claims Bhopal site is leaking toxins

2009-12-01T21:52:00.002+07:00

By Allan Little
BBC News, Bhopal

Indian officials have dismissed claims that the former Union Carbide pesticide plant at Bhopal is still leaking dangerous toxins into drinking water.

Many locals believe their birth defects were caused by the gas leak

The chief minister of Madhya Pradesh state was speaking 25 years after the world's worst industrial disaster.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan told the BBC the plant was safe, contradicting claims in a new report.

Thousands died after 40 tons of deadly methyl isocyanate gas leaked from the US-owned plant on 3 December 1984.

Half a million people were exposed to the gas. Many have suffered life-long chronic illness as a result.

'100% clean'

Mr Chouhan said that neighbouring communities near the site had been supplied with clean drinking water.

"It took some time," he said in a BBC interview ahead of the 25th anniversary of the disaster on 3 December.

"But we managed this quickly, and we can say that we are providing 100% clean water."

However, a report published by the British-based charity the Bhopal Medical Appeal (BMA) and the Sambhavna Clinic in Bhopal says there is evidence that "there are still high levels of toxic chemicals in the drinking water supply in 15 communities near the old Union Carbide pesticide plant".

The report says the water "in and around the Union Carbide factory site in Bhopal still contains extremely unsafe levels of carbon tetrachloride and other persistent organic pollutants, solvents, nickel and other heavy metals". Read more...

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'Mental illness gene' discovered by Scots scientists

2009-11-27T21:49:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Scientists have discovered a gene which may help explain the causes of mental illness.

The discovery could lead to new treatments being developed

The ABCA13 gene is partially inactive in patients with severe psychological conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.

It is hoped that identifying genes which make people more likely to develop psychiatric illness may lead to new treatments being developed.

The international team of scientists was led by Edinburgh University.

They studied the genes of 2,000 psychiatric patients and compared them with those of 2,000 healthy people.

The study suggested that ABCA13 was faulty more frequently in patients with mental illness than in the control group.

Douglas Blackwood, psychiatric genetics professor at Edinburgh University, said: "This is an exciting step forward in our understanding of the underlying causes of some common mental illnesses. These risk genes could signpost new directions for treatments."

The team believes the gene may influence the way fat molecules are used in brain cells and the research will now focus on exactly how this occurs.

The discovery could lead to drugs that restore mental health in patients with psychiatric illness.

Dr Ben Pickard, who was part of the Edinburgh team but now works at the University of Strathclyde, said: "This study is the first to identify multiple points of DNA damage within a single gene that are linked with psychiatric illness.

"It strongly suggests that this gene may regulate an important part of brain function that fails in individuals diagnosed with these devastating disorders.

"I think it opens up a whole new area of biology which indicates that these conditions are perhaps related at a fundamental level."

The Edinburgh University research is in collaboration with scientists at universities in Aberdeen, Queensland and North Carolina.

The study took around five years to complete and involved patients from Scotland.

The results have been published in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

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Dirt can be good for children, say scientists

2009-11-23T21:13:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Children should be allowed to get dirty, according to scientists who have found being too clean can impair the skin's ability to heal.

Messy play should be encouraged, according to the hygiene hypothesis

Normal bacteria living on the skin trigger a pathway that helps prevent inflammation when we get hurt, the US team discovered.

The bugs dampen down overactive immune responses that can cause cuts and grazes to swell, they say.

Their work is published in the online edition of Nature Medicine.

Experts said the findings provided an explanation for the "hygiene hypothesis", which holds that exposure to germs during early childhood primes the body against allergies.

Many believe our obsession with cleanliness is to blame for the recent boom in allergies in developed countries.

'Good' bacteria

Researchers from the School of Medicine at University of California, San Diego, found a common bacterial species, known as Staphylococci, blocked a vital step in a cascade of events that led to inflammation.

By studying mice and human cells, they found the harmless bacteria did this by making a molecule called lipoteichoic acid or LTA, which acted on keratinocytes - the main cell types found in the outer layer of the skin.

The LTA keeps the keratinocytes in check, stopping them from mounting an aggressive inflammatory response.

Head of the research Professor Richard Gallo said: "The exciting implication of the work is that it provides a molecular basis to understand the hygiene hypothesis and has uncovered elements of the wound repair response that were previously unknown.

"This may help us devise new therapeutic approaches for inflammatory skin diseases."

The lobby group Parents Outloud said the work offered scientific support for its campaign to stop children being mollycoddled and over-sanitised.

A spokeswoman for Allergy UK said there was a growing body of evidence that exposure to germs was a good thing.

But she said more research was needed.

"Rates of allergy have tripled in the UK in the last decade. One in three people now has some kind of allergy.

"Some of this might be that people are better informed. But a lot of it is genetic as well as down to our environment," she said.

Youtharia for Anti-Aging & Longevity

Teenage obesity link to future MS

2009-11-21T21:47:00.001+07:00

BBC News

Being obese as a teenager may be linked with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis as an adult, researchers say.

Obesity in adolescence appeared to be key

A 40-year study of 238,000 women found those who were obese at 18 had twice the risk of developing MS compared to women who were slimmer at that age.

Yet body size during childhood or adulthood was not found to be associated with MS risk, the US researchers report in Neurology.

But an MS charity warned more research was needed to confirm the findings.

Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health used data from nurses taking part in a large study on diet, lifestyle factors and health.

Over the course of the study, 593 women were diagnosed with MS, a condition caused by the loss of nerve fibres and their protective myelin sheath in the brain and spinal cord, which causes neurological damage.

The researchers compared the risk of the disease with body mass index (BMI) - a ratio of weight to height - at age 18.

Participants were also asked to describe their body size using a series of diagrams at the age of five, 10 and 20.

The study showed that those with an "obese" BMI of 30 or larger at age 18 had more than twice the risk of developing MS.

There was also a smaller increased risk in those who were classed as overweight .

The results were the same after accounting for smoking status and physical activity level.

Body shape

When comparing the risk of MS with self-reported body shape, the researchers found no association between childhood obesity and the future chances of developing the disease.

They also found no risk associated with adult obesity.

But women who had a larger body size at 20 years of age also had almost twice the risk of MS compared to women who reported a thinner body size.

Previous research has linked high levels of vitamin D with a reduced risk of MS and the researchers point out that obesity is associated with low vitamin D levels in the body.

The researchers suggest fatty tissue produces substances that affect the immune system, which may also provide a link with the chances of developing MS.

Further research should look at confirming the findings in men and individuals from different ethnic groups as well as comparing with vitamin D levels, they said.

"Our results suggest that weight during adolescence, rather than childhood or adulthood, is critical in determining the risk of MS," said study author Kassandra Munger, ScD, of Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

"There's a lot of research supporting the idea that adolescence may be an important time for development of disease, so what we have found is consistent with that."

She added: "Teaching and practicing obesity prevention from the start - but especially during teenage years - may be an important step in reducing the risk of MS later in life for women."

Susan Kohlhaas, research communications officer for the MS Society, said: "This study does not account for several other factors that may play a role in causing MS. Based on that, more work is needed.

"As such, it is difficult to determine whether teenage obesity could be a possible factor in causing MS in women."

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