The claims in today`s papers that cocoa consumption could "stave off Alzheimer’s" (The Times) or "ward off dementia" (Daily Express) are hard to swallow.
They are based on a small study that found an association between cocoa consumption, improved blood flow to the brain and an "upturn" in memory. But the study d
News that people in their 90s may have better health and quality of life than ever before has been covered by BBC News, who report that "Over-90s [are] `defying mental decline`." The news is based on a large study that compared the mental (cognitive) and physical functioning of two groups of elderly people. The groups i
“`Cradle snatchers` cause menopause, says biologist,” is the bizarre headline in The Guardian today.
The menopause has always been a bit of an evolutionary puzzle. Evolution is about one thing only – reproducing genes. So why would genes that cause a woman to lose fertility halfw
"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.
“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 oes
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
"Social isolation is associated with a higher risk of death in older people regardless of whether they consider themselves lonely," BBC News has reported.
Previous research has suggested that people who have limited social contact are at increased risk of death. Many researchers have suggested that this is possibly
“Parkinson`s drug `helps` the elderly think younger and reap the rewards from the choices they make,” according to the Mail Online. It reports that as you age you lose the ability to learn from experiences, which can lead to poor decision making. But the drug levodopa, used to treat Parkinson’s disea
Drugs that could help people `to live to 150` could soon be a reality, according to headlines in The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail.
The news comes from molecular-level research into the compound resveratrol, which is found in red wine and dark chocolate, and has been shown to increase the activity of pr
“Free bus passes are spreading good health among older people,” the Daily Mail reported today.
The story is based on research that found that older people who had a free bus pass were more likely to take part in what the researchers describe as “active travel”. The definition of active travel includes riding
