Health

• Urban pollution 'raises blood pressure'
• 17th May 2010
  City pollution, previously linked to poor respiratory health, has now been linked to raised blood pressure. German researchers looked at 5,000 people and found long-term exposure increased blood pressure, even when other key factors were considered. The ...

• WHO study on mobile phone cancer risk 'inconclusive'
• 17th May 2010
  The largest study to date on links between mobile phone use and certain types of brain cancer has proved inconclusive, researchers say. The results indicate a possible health risk from heavy mobile phone use, said the World Health Organization (WHO), whic...

• Stress link to financial squeeze
• 17th May 2010
  Work pressures during the recession have caused a big rise in mental health problems, the charity says. A survey for Mind suggests that one in 11 British workers has been to the GP for stress and anxiety from the financial squeeze. And 7% said they were ...

• Breast cancer gene clue discovery
• 10th May 2010
  Five genetic clues to why some women have a family history of breast cancer have been identified by UK researchers. It brings to 18 the number of common genetic variations linked to a small increased risk of breast cancer. The Cambridge University-led re...

• Patients shown DVDs as distraction during surgery
• 07th May 2010
  Patients arriving for knee surgery at a Glasgow hospital are being asked if they want to watch a movie while they are having their operation The technique is being used to divert their attention so they need less anaesthetic. The idea was the brainchild...

• Search on for chocoholic volunteers
• 06th May 2010
  It sounds like a health study made in heaven - volunteers will have chocolate delivered to their homes and be encouraged to eat 50 grams every day for eight weeks. Researchers are to recruit 110 Northern Ireland people with high blood pressure for the op...

• Lack of sleep 'linked to early death'
• 05th May 2010
  Getting less than six hours sleep a night can lead to an early grave, UK and Italian researchers have warned. They said people regularly having such little sleep were 12% more likely to die over a 25-year period than those who got an "ideal" six...

• Cancer project could limit need for animal testing
• 04th May 2010
  A project to improve the effectiveness of tests into cancer treatments could limit the need for animal testing, researchers have claimed. Scientists at the University of Dundee, who will lead the £10m Europe-wide project, said it may also boost safe...

• Prostate cancer vaccine wins US approval
• 01st May 2010
  A "vaccine" which harnesses the body's own immune system to fight prostate cancer has been approved for use by US drug regulators. Provenge - which is designed to be used in men with advanced disease - is the first of its kind to be accepted by ...

• 'Pick the right veg' for health
• 29th April 2010
  Obvious choices of fruit and vegetables are not necessarily the healthiest, say researchers. According to US experts, making simple swaps like eating sweet potatoes instead of carrots and papaya rather than oranges could make a difference. Foods, like ra...

• Well-done meat doubles bladder cancer risk
• 26th April 2010
  Eating lots of meat, especially if it is overcooked, increases the risk of bladder cancer, say experts. Frying, grilling and barbecuing until meat is charred can form cancer-causing chemicals, research shows. In a study, people whose diets include...

• Tea 'healthier' drink than water
• 26th April 2010
  Drinking three or more cups of tea a day is as good for you as drinking plenty of water and may even have extra health benefits, say researchers. The work in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition dispels the common belief that tea dehydrates. T...