Health

Heavy workloads and job insecurity are just two of the stress triggers which could increase your risk of heart disease and strokes. Scientists who analysed a series of high tech brain scans found heightened activity in the amygdala, a region of the brain involved in stress, is associated with a greater risk of heart disease and stroke. The study, published in The Lancet, provides new insights into the possible mechanism by which stress can lead to cardiovascular disease in humans. While...

The poor have got fatter and it is passed on from one generation to the next, a new British study found. The lower a person is on the social ladder, the higher their body mass index was likely to be. A new study which looked at class and weight since the Second World War found the rich and educated have been able to shield themselves against the obesity epidemic. And efforts to close this health inequality gap between the rich...

This year people in the UK will suffer more than 300,000 fractures because of the bone disease osteoporosis. That’s one fracture every two minutes. The good news is, there’s plenty you can do to keep your bones strong. Here’s some tips from the National Osteoporosis Society to help you stay fracture free in 2017. It’s easy to assume that osteoporosis only affects older people and is an inevitable part of the ageing process, but – according to the National Osteoporosis...

Drinking Diet Coke won't stop you getting fat, according to new research. Ditching your favourite beverage for its heavily marketed sugar free alternative is no better for preventing weight gain - and could also harm the environment. Diet drinks contain artificial sweeteners which may be perceived by consumers as the healthier option for those who want to shed the pounds. But there is no evidence to support the claims they are any better for health, or prevent obesity and related...

Being overweight reduces the motivation to exercise - explaining why New Year resolutions to shed the pounds often fail, according to new research. It has always been assumed obesity makes it harder for people to move around. But scientists now reckon the mental affect of the condition could be just as vital as the physical. A study on bloated mice found their lack of activity was caused by altered dopamine receptors in the brain, rather than the extra ounces they...

A pill that vaccinates people against salmonella has been developed amid fears terrorists could turn the deadly food poisoning bug into a weapon. Designed to be taken by mouth, it also has the added advantage of using the same pathway that salmonella uses to wreak havoc on the digestive system. Salmonella is responsible for one of the most common food-borne illnesses in the world. In the US alone, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimates there are about 1.4 million...

People who leave school with no qualifications are more than twice as likely to suffer a heart attack as those with a university degree, according to new research. The findings come from a groundbreaking new Australian study of healthy ageing in the Southern Hemisphere. Researchers investigated the links between education and cardiovascular disease events - such as a heart attack or stroke - by following 267,153 men and women in the state of New South Wales aged over 45 for...

We are all guilty of making gym excuses. Right now I’m sat at my desk dreaming up logical reasons why I can’t go this evening. And with the darker evenings and colder weather, it’s probable I’ll be making even more of them. But the excuses don’t just stop there. They continue when we reach the gym and are faced with the machine battlefield ahead. Every time I get to the gym floor, my stomach flips. It’s how I imagine life...

By Phil Jones is Director of the Military Preparation Schools Child obesity levels have risen once again, according to National Child Measurement Programme figures published last week. The percentage of overweight 10- and 11- year olds in this country has increased by 0.7%, and while that’s a relatively small increase on the face of things, it’s important that a spotlight is shone on the direction in which things are heading. There is a need, and an urgent need, for schools...