January 2015

Sugary drinks linked to earlier onset of menstrual periods

Girls who frequently consume sugary drinks tend to start their menstrual periods earlier than girls who do not, according to new research published online in Human Reproduction [1], one of the world’s leading reproductive medicine journals. In the first study to look at the relation between sugar-sweetened drinks and the age at which girls have […]

Lung cancer predicted to overtake breast cancer as leading cause of cancer death among European women in 2015

Death rates from lung cancer will exceed those for breast cancer for the first time among European women in 2015, according to the latest predictions published in the leading cancer journal Annals of Oncology [1]. The study by researchers in Italy and Switzerland predicts that although the actual number of deaths from all cancers in […]

Largest study of babies born after infertility treatment shows significant improvements in health over past 20 years

The last two decades has seen a steady improvement in the health outcomes of children born after assisted reproduction (ART), with fewer babies being born preterm, with low birth weight, stillborn or dying within the first year of life. These findings come from the largest study to date to investigate the health of ART babies […]

Drinking moderate amounts of alcohol is linked to reduced risk of heart failure

Evidence already exists for the beneficial effects of drinking moderate amounts of alcohol on the risk of developing a number of heart conditions; however, the role it plays in the risk of developing heart failure has been under-researched with conflicting results. Now, a large study of nearly 15,000 men and women, published in the European […]

Blood sugar levels in heart failure patients predict risk of early death, hospitalisations and diabetes

New research suggests that people who arrive at hospital emergency departments with acute heart failure should have their blood sugar levels checked on arrival. This simple and inexpensive measure could identify patients at high risk of early death, further hospitalisations, or the development of more health problems, such as diabetes. Results of a large study […]