Bedford Hill Family Practice

120 Bedford Hill
Balham
SW12 9HS
Tel: 020 8673 1720

Cervical Smears

All women between the ages of 25 and 64 who have ever been sexually active should have a smear done. These are usually carried out every 3 years or more frequently if previous smears suggested this would be more appropriate.

Cervical smears assess the general health of the cervix and can pick up cervical abnormalities which may otherwise progress into cervical cancer.

The best time to have your smear done is around 2 weeks into your menstrual cycle i.e. approximately midway between the date of your last period and the date of your next expected period.

Cervical smears are undertaken by our practice nurses and the procedure takes about 20 minutes. St George's Hospital will notify you of your smear result about 4 weeks after the test was carried out.
 

 

NHS Choices - Behind the headlines

  • Social care reforms announced

    Most of the UK media is covering the announcement made in Parliament by Jeremy Hunt, Secretary of State for Health, about proposed changes to social care.

    The two confirmed points to have garnered the most media attention in the run-up to the announcement are:

    • a ‘cost cap’ of £75,000 worth of care costs – after this...
  • Men who perform oral sex on women 'more at risk of mouth and throat cancers'

    “Men who have performed oral sex on five or more women are at greater risk of developing head and neck cancer, especially if they smoke,” the Evening Standard reports.

    This story is based on a US study that looked at 9,425 people aged 20 to 59 who provided information about their number of oral sex partners and were tested for oral...
  • Worrying rise in reports of self-harm among teenage girls in UK

    "Steep rise in self-harm among teenage girls,” BBC News reports.

    This follows a UK study that used reliable national databases to look at trends in reports of self-harm among young people aged 10 to 19 since 2001. It found annual rates of self-harm of 37 per 10,000 girls and 12.3 per 10,000 boys.

    There were several other...
  • Thousands of studies could be flawed due to contaminated cells

    "More than 30,000 scientific studies could be wrong due to widespread cell contamination dating back 60 years," reports the Mail Online.

    The news is based on research that suggests incorrect identification of cells grown in the lab could have distorted information in tens of thousands of published research studies. These...
  • HIV prevention drug could save NHS £1 billion over 80 years

    "A drug to dramatically cut the risk of HIV infection during sex would save the UK around £1bn over the next 80 years," reports BBC News. A modelling study looking at the cost-effectiveness of providing pre-exposure prophylaxis, or Prep, for men at risk of HIV, found it would reduce infections – and hence treatment costs – in the...
  • 'Magic mushrooms' may help 'reset' depressive brains, study claims

    "Magic mushrooms can 'reboot' brain to treat depression," reports the Daily Telegraph.

    The news is based on a small UK study that looked at the effects of psilocybin, a chemical found in magic mushrooms, on patients with severe depression.

    All 19 patients said their depression improved immediately after taking...
  • Pregnant women 'should avoid sleeping on back in last trimester'

    "New warning to pregnant women: Do not sleep on your back in the last trimester as it could cause stillbirth, claim experts," the Mail Online reports.

    This rather overdramatic headline stems from a new study that investigated the effects of mothers' sleep positions on baby behaviour in 29 women in the final weeks of...
  • Hormonal fertility tests 'waste of time and money'

    "'Fertility MOTs' are a waste of money," reports The Daily Telegraph after researchers in the US found hormones tested in "ovarian reserve" fertility test kits bear no relation to how likely women were to get pregnant – at least, in the early months of trying to conceive.

    These tests usually measure the levels of...
  • Childhood obesity soars worldwide

    "Shocking figures show there are now 124 million obese children worldwide," reports The Guardian. A pooling of records of height and weight in children from 200 countries found the numbers of children who are obese rose from less than 1% in 1975, to 5.6% of girls and 7.8% of boys in 2016.

    The numbers of children severely or...
  • Youngest children in school year 'more likely' to get ADHD diagnosis

    "Youngest children in class more likely to be labelled hyperactive," The Times reports. A Finnish study raises the possibility that some children may have been misdiagnosed with ADHD, when in fact their behaviour was age-appropriate.

    Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a group of behavioural symptoms that...
  • Is schizophrenia risk 'around 80% genetic'?

    "Genetics account for almost 80 per cent of a person's risk of developing schizophrenia, according to new research," the Mail Online reports. That is the main finding of a study looking at how often schizophrenia affected both twins of a pair, looking at identical and non-identical twins.

    Schizophrenia is a serious mental...
  • Is schizophrenia risk 'around 80% genetic'?

    "Genetics account for almost 80 per cent of a person's risk of developing schizophrenia, according to new research," the Mail Online reports. That is the main finding of a study looking at how often schizophrenia affected both twins of a pair, looking at identical and non-identical twins.

    Schizophrenia is a serious mental...
  • Three quarters of honey samples contain pesticide traces

    "Honey from across the world is contaminated with potent pesticides known to harm bees," The Guardian reports.

    This is based on a study that analysed nearly 200 samples of honey, collected from diverse regions worldwide, and found that 75% contained traces of a group of pesticides called neonicotinoids.

    ...
  • Vitamin D may prevent asthma worsening for some

    "Vitamin D supplements protect against severe asthma attacks," The Daily Telegraph reports.

    The headline was prompted by a review that pooled data from seven trials comparing taking vitamin D supplements with a placebo in people with asthma.

    The researchers wanted to see whether vitamin D reduced the risk of severe...
  • Many new cancer drugs show 'no clear benefit', argues review

    "Over half of new cancer drugs 'show no benefits' for survival or wellbeing," The Guardian reports. That was the finding of a study looking at the evidence supporting new cancer drugs approved between 2009 and 2013 by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

    The study found only half of drug approvals had clear evidence showing...
  • Study links vegetarian diet in pregnancy to substance abuse in offspring

    "Pregnant vegetarians are three times more likely to have kids who abuse drugs and alcohol," reports the Mail Online. Researchers claim to have found a link between substance abuse at age 15, and diet of the child's mother during pregnancy. But it is far from clear that avoiding meat in pregnancy "causes" substance abuse...
  • Regularly skipping breakfast linked to hardening of the arteries

    "Skipping breakfast may be linked to poor heart health," The Guardian reports. Researchers from Spain found that people who regularly skipped breakfast were more likely to have atherosclerosis – hardening and thickening of the arteries due to a build-up of fatty deposits known as plaques.

    Atherosclerosis doesn't usually...
  • People with type 2 diabetes should 'save carbs for last'

    "Diabetics should save bread for last at mealtime to keep their blood sugar under control," the Mail Online reports. A small study found that people with type 2 diabetes who saved their carbohydrates until the end of their meal were less likely to experience a sudden rise in their blood sugar (glucose) levels. The medical term for...
  • Bedbugs thought to 'hitchhike' on dirty holiday laundry

    "Dirty laundry a powerful magnet for bedbugs, study finds," is The Guardian's headline, with The Times and The Daily Telegraph also covering this creepy-crawly story.

    Bedbugs are small blood-sucking insects that live in cracks and crevices in and around beds. They crawl out at night and bite exposed skin to feed on blood....
  • Has measles really been 'eliminated' in the UK?

    "Measles eliminated in the UK for the first time," reports The Telegraph.

    This and other stories in the media are based on a new World Health Organization (WHO) report confirming the UK is now one of 33 countries in Europe to have "eliminated" measles.

    "Elimination" is the official term used once...
  • Rates of newly diagnosed HIV increasing in over-50s

    "HIV rises among over-50s as they neglect safe sex" is the headline from The Times.

    The news is based on a European study that found more over-50s are being diagnosed with HIV compared with 12 years ago.

    The study collected data on more than 360,000 people who had been newly diagnosed with HIV between 2004 and 2015...
  • High-precision radiotherapy for prostate cancer 'shows promise'

    "Targeted radiotherapy 'cures' prostate cancer that kills thousands," reports The Times.

    The news is based on a UK study of the use of high-precision radiotherapy to treat men with advanced localised prostate cancer.

    Researchers wanted to see if they could safely target cancer cells that had spread outside the...
  • Sexual harassment in the workplace linked to depression

    News that sexual harassment in the workplace can cause depression and work absence has hit the headlines after the results of a Danish study were published.

    Researchers surveyed 7,603 employees from 1,041 organisations in Denmark, and asked them about symptoms of depression and whether they'd been subjected to sexual harassment from...
  • Any type of physical exercise is good for the heart

    "Vacuuming and scrubbing the floor are enough exercise to protect the heart and extend life," reports The Telegraph, with other media sources reporting a similar finding – that physical activity in our everyday lives is just as good as going to the gym.

    This follows a large international study published in The Lancet that...
  • Lightning Process 'could help children with chronic fatigue syndrome', study claims

    "Controversial Lightning Process 'helps children with chronic fatigue syndrome'," reports The Guardian.

    The story is based on a UK study investigating whether a treatment called the Lightning Process helped teenagers being treated for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis).

    The...
  • Many teenagers reporting symptoms of depression

    Summary

    "One in four British girls hit by depression at 14 as experts blame increase in cyber bullying and academic pressure," says the Sun after a large study found 24% of 14-year-old girls in the UK report symptoms of depression.

    The Millenium Cohort Study followed more than 19,000 children born in the UK in 2000 to...
  • Single-injection vaccine device still a long way off

    "Scientists invent injection that could deliver every childhood vaccine in one go," reports The Independent. Various media sources have run stories on a new injection they claim could allow multiple childhood vaccines to be delivered in a single jab.

    This follows the development in the US of a method of making a tiny,...
  • Women more likely than men to lose interest in sex

    "Women get bored of having sex with their partner after just a year together, a new study suggests," is the rather crass story in the Mail Online.

    The news is based on research that actually found multiple factors increased the likelihood of both men and women reporting a lack of interest in sex.

    The findings come...
  • Tattoo ink particles can spread into lymph nodes

    "Tattoos could give you cancer, new research suggests," is the entirely unsupported claim from the Mail Online.

    The news come from a study that found evidence particles from tattoo ink can spread into lymph nodes – but it hasn't been proven that tattoo ink causes cancer.

    Researchers used samples of skin and adjacent...
  • No change to alcohol guidelines for pregnancy

    "There is little evidence having the occasional drink while pregnant harms a baby," reports the Mail Online.

    This follows a review of international research looking at whether low-to-moderate alcohol consumption – no more than 1 to 2 units, once or twice a week – was linked with adverse pregnancy outcomes. To put this in...
  • Avoid eating just before your bedtime, study recommends

    "It's not what you eat, it's when you eat that matters: study shows timing your meals right is the key to beating obesity," the Mail Online reports.

    The headline was prompted by a small US study involving 110 university students.

    Researchers gave them activity monitors to wear, measured their sleep patterns, and...
  • Could a Mediterranean diet be as good as drugs for acid reflux?

    "Why the Mediterranean diet is the best cure for acid reflux: Study found patients who ate plenty of fish and veg had fewer symptoms and avoided side effects of medication," the Mail Online reports.

    Acid reflux, also known as gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD), is a condition where stomach acid leaks back up into the...
  • Drinks industry accused of downplaying 'alcohol-cancer risk'

    "Drinks industry downplaying alcohol-cancer link," The Guardian reports as new analysis has been published looking at the accuracy of health information circulated by the alcohol industry on the link between alcohol and cancer.

    Many people still don't appreciate that alcohol can increase the risk of a range of cancers, such...
  • Can exercise offset some of the harms of regular drinking?

    "Adults who booze regularly but exercise for five hours a week are no more likely to die than teetotallers," the Mail Online reports.

    A study suggests exercise may compensate for some, but certainly not all, of the harms associated with excessive alcohol consumption. This latest study looked at deaths from...
  • Statins cut heart deaths in men by 28% finds study

    "Statins cut the risk of dying from heart disease by 28% among men, according to the longest study of its kind," The Guardian reports.

    Statins help reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad cholesterol", in the blood. This in turn helps reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

    ...
  • Zika virus may be useful in treating brain tumours

    "Zika virus used to treat aggressive brain cancer," BBC News reports. Animal and laboratory research suggests a modified version of the virus could possibly be used to target and destroy cancerous cells.

    The Zika virus was first discovered in 1947...
  • Older babies 'sleep better' in their own room

    "Babies who sleep in separate rooms from their parents have earlier bedtimes, take less time to nod off and get more shut eye," the Mail Online reports on the results of an international survey looking at sleeping locations and outcomes in infants aged 6 to 12 months.

    The parents of more than 10,000 infants aged 6 to 12...
  • One in 10 men aged 50 'have the heart of a 60-year-old'

    "One-tenth of 50-year-old men have a heart age 10 years older than they are," BBC News reports. This is the finding of an analysis of 1.2 million people who used the NHS Heart Age Test.

    The principle behind the test is that you...
  • New insight into how excess belly fat may increase cancer risk

    "Belly fat releases proteins that fuel the growth of malignant [cancerous] cells," the Mail Online reports.

    It's long been known that obesity is an independent risk factor for a number of cancers, including breast, bowel and liver cancer. But it's less clear why this is the case.

    This question has become more...
  • Going to university may cut your risk of heart disease

    "Why gaining a degree could help you live longer," The Daily Telegraph reports. A new gene study found people with genes associated with spending longer in education had around a 33% reduced risk of developing heart disease.

    One of the...
  • Sitting for 20 minutes less a day won't make you 'more muscly'

    "Spending just 20 minutes less sitting a day reduces blood sugar levels, improves cholesterol AND even makes you more muscly," is the Mail Online's overly optimistic claim.

    Researchers in Finland recruited people who worked in offices and had young children for a study investigating whether training could help cut the...
  • Results of global fats and carbs study not very relevant for UK

    "Eating a low-fat diet 'increases your risk of dying young by 25%'," is the stark but somewhat misleading report in The Sun. The study the headline is based on mainly looked at people in lower- and middle-income countries, where diets are very different, so the results may not be relevant to the UK.

    Many previous studies...
  • Anti-inflammatory drug may help prevent heart attacks

    "Anti-inflammatory drug 'cuts heart attack risk'," BBC News reports. A major study found canakinumab – an anti-inflammatory drug originally designed to treat rheumatoid arthritis – could also reduce the risk of having another heart attack in people who have already had one.

    The study included more than 10,000 people who'd...
  • Reports that 'women have more stamina' look a little weak

    "Women have more stamina than men," is the definitive sounding, yet entirely unsupported headline in The Times.

    The study the headline is based on involved just nine women and eight men. Researchers asked each participant to do an exercise similar to calf raises (where the calves are used to lift a weighted bar or similar)...
  • Could adding lithium to tap water reduce dementia levels?

    "Adding lithium to tap water could prevent thousands of dementia cases," reports The Daily Telegraph. The report is based on research from Denmark that found people who had lived in areas with higher levels of naturally occurring lithium (a type of metal) in the drinking water were slightly less likely to get dementia.

    The...
  • 10-minute walk a day app to tackle 'inactivity epidemic'

    "Health bosses say 45 per cent of over-16s are so sedentary they do not manage the health-boosting ten-minute walk," the Daily Mail reports.

    The headline comes after data compiled by Public Health England (the government body tasked with improving the nation's health) found that more than 6.3 million adults aged 40 to 60...
  • C-section mums warned about dangers of 'vaginal seeding'

    What is the issue?

    A technique called vaginal seeding, sometimes used for babies born by caesarean section, "can give newborns deadly infections and sepsis," warns the Mail Online.

    Vaginal seeding involves rubbing vaginal fluid onto the skin of a newborn baby born by...
  • Gum disease linked to increased risk of Alzheimer's disease

    "Gum disease sufferers 70% more likely to get dementia," The Times reports. A Taiwanese study found that people with a 10-year or longer history of chronic periodontitis (CP) had a small but significant increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease...
  • Vitamin C injections could play a role in treating blood cancers

    "Super-strength vitamin C doses could be a way to fight leukaemia," the Mail Online reports. Research in mice found vitamin C could help combat the effect of a mutated gene that can cause uncontrollable stem cell growth and trigger the onset of acute...
  • 'Junk food' may increase cancer risk in 'healthy weight' women

    "Women who eat junk food such as burgers or pizza are increasing their risk of cancer even if they're not overweight, new research has warned," reports the Daily Mail.

    The story is based on research from the US looking at the diet of postmenopausal women in the 1990s and then tracking the development of a variety of cancers...
  • People who regularly groom their pubic hair at risk of injuries

    "A quarter of Americans are injured and hospitalized by tidying up 'down there'," the Mail Online reports.

    The headline is prompted by a survey which asked 7,570 adults about pubic hair removal and "grooming" (such as waxing). The researchers found that removing all pubic hair, and frequent hair removal, were most...
  • 'Alternative cancer therapies' may increase your risk of death

    "Cancer patients who use alternative medicine more than twice as likely to die," is the stark message from The Independent. Researchers found that people who chose alternative medicine instead of conventional cancer treatments were much less likely to survive for at least five years.

    Conventional treatments included surgery...
  • 'Fat but fit' people may still be at risk of heart disease

    "Concept of being 'fit but fat' is a myth, researchers say," ITV News reports after a Europe-wide study looked at associations between body weight, metabolic health and heart disease.

    The term "fat but fit" is used to describe people who are overweight or obese but don't have any of the symptoms of...
  • Reports that antibacterials in pregnancy are 'harmful' unfounded

    "Warning to pregnant women, don't use antibacterial soap! Chemicals in the products can make children fat and disrupt their development," is the alarming, yet entirely unsupported, headline from the Mail Online.

    US researchers wanted to see if pregnant mice exposed to the chemical triclocarban (TCC), previously used in a...
  • Gene editing brings pig organ transplant closer

    "Gene editing to remove viruses brings transplant organs from pigs a step closer," The Guardian reports after researchers used the new CRIPSR gene editing technique. CRIPSR acts like a set of molecular scissors that can cut out potentially harmful infectious genes.

    Despite the difference in size and shape, many of the pig's...
  • Vitamin B3 found in Marmite not proven to prevent miscarriage

    "Like it or loathe it, but Marmite could help prevent millions of miscarriages and birth defects around the world," is the overly optimistic headline in The Daily Telegraph.

    The news is based on research into just four families who have children with birth defects, with three of the families also having had...
  • Saliva 'may speed healing' but 'kissing it better' probably won't

    "Kissing it better really works: Saliva found to have properties that help speed up the healing process," reports the Mail Online. Researchers in Chile investigated how human saliva may help wounds to heal more efficiently.

    They used lab-grown skin cells and fertilised chicken eggs to see how a protein found in saliva,...
  • 'Exercise pill' could potentially help people with heart failure

    "Pill that mimics effects of going to the gym could transform lives of heart failure patients," the Daily Mirror reports. While the news sounds promising, it is important to make clear the research involved rodents, not people.

    Heart failure is...
  • Software used to screen social media photos for depression signs

    "The images you put up on Instagram could be used to diagnose if you're depressed," the Mail Online reports.

    Researchers attempted to see if computer-driven image recognition could diagnose depression based on the form and content of people's posts on Instagram, a social media photo sharing site.

    They looked at...
  • Alcohol linked to an increased risk of skin cancer

    "Drinking just one glass of beer or wine a day could give you skin cancer, scientists have warned," the Mail Online reports.

    Researchers pooled the results of previous studies and found a small, but significant, association between alcohol consumption and...
  • Diabetes drug may be helpful for Parkinson's disease

    "A drug commonly used to treat diabetes could help those living with Parkinson's disease," The Guardian reports. A small study suggests a drug called exenatide may have a modest beneficial effect on motor (movement) symptoms in people with Parkinson's...
  • Gene editing used to repair diseased genes in embryos

    "Deadly gene mutations removed from human embryos in landmark study," reports The Guardian. Researchers have used a gene-editing technique to repair faults in DNA that can cause the often-fatal heart condition, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

    ...
  • Kitchen sponges may be a 'bacteria hotspot' – but no need to worry

    "Study finds just a sugar-cube sized piece of kitchen sponge can contain 54 BILLION bacterial cells," the Mail Online reports. A German study sampled 14 different kitchen sponges and found they contained far more bacteria than expected.

    Genetic analysis revealed the used sponges contained billions of bacteria, from 362...
  • Could discovery of 'fat switch' cure obesity?

    "Obesity cure possible after discovery of fat 'switch'," is the somewhat premature headline in The Daily Telegraph.

    Researchers have identified a "biological switch" that controls when fat cells convert fat into energy for the body. But the headline fails to make it clear that this discovery was in mice, not...
  • More older adults 'may benefit from taking statins,' study reports

    "Nearly all men over 60 and women over 75 eligible for statins, analysis suggests," The Guardian reports.

    This is the finding of a study that aimed to see how many people in England would qualify for statin use if the 2014 NICE guidelines for statin therapy in adults were followed.

    ...
  • Calls for GPs to offer HIV screening in high-risk areas

    "Offering routine HIV tests to people when they register with new GP surgeries in high-risk areas is cost-effective and could save lives," The Guardian reports.

    The news comes from the findings of a large trial in the London Borough of Hackney.

    Researchers wanted to see if offering ...
  • Reports that frequent drinking prevents diabetes are inaccurate

    "Drinking a moderate amount of certain drinks such as wine three to four times a week reduced diabetes risk by about 30%," The Guardian reports. That was the main reported finding of a Danish study looking at the impact of alcohol on diabetes risk.

    Researchers looked at a group of more than 70,000 people who had completed a...
  • Questions over advice to finish courses of antibiotics

    "Should you finish a course of antibiotics?" asks BBC Online. The question is prompted by a new review suggesting concerns around antibiotic treatment are driven by fears of under-treatment, when we should instead be concerned about over-use.

    Patients have always been advised to finish their course of ...
  • Eye screening linked to fall in sight loss in people with diabetes

    "The proportion of diabetics who go blind or suffer sight loss has almost halved since a new national retinopathy screening programme started in 2007," BBC News reports. The screening programme was in fact launched in 2003 but rolled out to all diabetic people over the age of 12 by 2007.

    The main risk to vision for people...
  • Western sperm counts 'halved' in last 40 years

    "Sperm counts among Western men have halved in last 40 years," The Guardian reports. A major review of research carried out since 1973 found an estimated 50-60% drop in sperm count in developed nations.

    Researchers looked for studies that reported measures of either total sperm count or sperm concentration in men not known...
  • 'Buying time' and not just things may increase life satisfaction

    "Using money to free-up time is linked to increased happiness," BBC News reports. Researchers surveyed people from a number of developed countries and found those who reported using money to free up time, such as hiring a cleaner, tended to report higher life satisfaction.

    Researchers surveyed more than 6,000 participants...
  • Snoring link to Alzheimer’s disease unproven

    "Snoring linked to Alzheimer's," the Mail Online reports. A US study reported an association between sleep-disorder breathing and Alzheimer's disease in later life. But no definitive link between the two has been proven.

    Sleep-disordered breathing is a general term to describe pauses in breathing during sleep that restrict...
  • Could cows be the clue that leads to an HIV vaccine?

    "Cows have shown an 'insane' and 'mind-blowing' ability to tackle HIV which will help develop a vaccine, say US researchers," BBC News reports.

    The report is based on new research in cows that were immunised against HIV before having their immune response to HIV assessed. There's currently no vaccine for HIV because the...
  • Nine lifestyle changes may reduce risk of dementia

    "Nine lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk," BBC News reports. A major review by The Lancet has identified nine potentially modifiable risk factors linked to dementia.

    The risk factors were:

    • low levels of education
    • midlife hearing loss
    • physical inactivity
      • ...
  • High-dose vitamin D 'doesn't prevent colds and flu in kids'

    "Vitamin D will not protect your child from a cold: myth-busting study says 'more isn't always better' to help toddlers stay healthy," says the Mail Online.

    The story is based on a study that looked at whether giving healthy young children high doses of ...
  • Benefits of artificial sweeteners unclear

    "Artificial sweeteners linked to risk of weight gain," the Daily Mirror reports. Researchers looking at data gathered in previous studies reported a link between artificial sweeteners – ironically often associated with diet drinks – and weight gain. They also found a link with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke.

    ...
  • Some types of vegetarian diet can raise heart disease risk

    "Being vegetarian isn't always healthy: Plant-based diet may raise the risk of heart disease," the Daily Mail reports. A US study found a vegetarian diet based on less healthy food options, such as refined grains, could increase the risk of heart disease.

    The researchers behind the latest study made the point that many...
  • 'Regular sex keeps you younger' claims are unsupported

    "Scientists have found you can hold back the hands of time with a regular romp," is The Sun's typically colourful headline.

    While a healthy sex life may be a good thing, the research in question isn't exactly mind blowing.

    The study included 129...
  • Long working week 'may increase risk of irregular heartbeat'

    "Long working days can cause heart problems, study says," The Guardian reports.

    Researchers found people who work 55 or more hours a week had an increased risk of developing a type of irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation,...
  • House dust linked to obesity – but only in mice

    "Bad news for those who hate cleaning: dusty homes could make you obese," reports the Mail Online.

    Scientists in the US tested extracts of household dust on mouse "pre-fat" cells grown in a laboratory. These are cells known to develop into fat cells when exposed to fat-causing chemicals. 

    The researchers...
  • Face-to-face bullying much more common than cyberbullying

    "Children suffer significantly more face-to-face bullying than online abuse," reports the Mail Online.

    UK researchers questioned nearly 300,000 15-year-olds about their experiences of bullying in the biggest study of the subject to date.

    They found 30% of the teenagers who replied experienced regular "...
  • Does coffee make you live longer?

    "Drinking three cups of coffee a day could add years to your life, suggest studies," reports the Metro.

    It follows the results of European and US studies that looked at the relationship between how much coffee people drink and death.

    The European study included more than 450,000 people. Researchers found men who...
  • Old meningitis B vaccine 'may also protect against gonorrhoea'

    "Meningitis vaccine may also cut risk of 'untreatable' gonorrhoea, study says," is the headline in The Guardian.

    The news comes from the results of a study in New Zealand that found people who'd been given an old version of the meningitis B vaccine were less likely to be diagnosed with ...
  • Does having a 'sense of purpose' in life help you sleep better?

    "Sense of purpose aids sleep, US scientists find," The Guardian reports on a new study that explored the relationship between having a sense of purpose in life and quality of sleep in older adults.

    The study analysed data from 800 older adults with an average age of 80 in the US.

    Researchers found that generally,...
  • WHO issues warning about rise of drug-resistant gonorrhoea

    "Gonorrhoea fast becoming 'untreatable', WHO experts warn," reports Sky News.

    Analysis of data from 77 countries by the World Health Organization (WHO) found antibiotic resistance exists against almost all antibiotics currently used to treat the sexually transmitted infection (STI) gonorrhoea.

    In the past,...
  • Frequent ejaculation may decrease prostate cancer risk

    "Ejaculating at least 21 times a month significantly reduces a man's risk of prostate cancer," is the headline on the Mail Online. This is based on research from the US that asked men how often they ejaculated per month and subsequent reporting of prostate cancer.

    They found that men who ejaculated 21 times or more a month...
  • Researchers try to unknot Alzheimer's protein tangles

    "Abnormal deposits that build up in the brain during Alzheimer's have been pictured in unprecedented detail by UK scientists," reports BBC News.

    Alzheimer's disease is characterised by two proteins that take abnormal forms and build up in...
  • Toothpaste ingredient linked to antibiotic resistance

    "A common ingredient of soap and toothpaste could be causing antibiotic resistance and fuelling the spread of superbugs," the Mail Online reports.

    This news follows the results of a study that looked at whether there could be a common reason why some gut bacteria have resistance to both the quinolone class of antibiotics...
  • Heartburn drugs linked to premature death

    "Millions of people taking common heartburn and indigestion medications could be at an increased risk of death," The Guardian reports after a US study found people taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) had a slightly higher risk of death than the control group.

    PPIs reduce the amount of acid in the stomach. As well as being...

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