July - 2019

Hot weather: How to sleep in a heatwave

As temperatures soar across the UK, the difficulty of getting a good night's sleep is on many people's minds. But there are things you can do to beat the heatwave. Here are some tips. 1. No napping Hot weather can make us feel a bit lethargic during the day. That's because we're using more energy to regulate our internal temperature. But if your sleep is disturbed at night, try to avoid napping during the day. When it's hot, sleepiness can be precious - save it for bedtime. 2

Plant-based milks on the rise: A quarter of Britons are drinking them

Whether it's almond, soy or coconut it seems more people are ditching cow's milk for the plant-based stuff. A quarter of British people are now drinking non-dairy milks, according to market research firm Mintel, who spoke to 2,000 people. The biggest users of non-dairy milk are 16-24 year olds - 33% are drinking them. But plant-based milks make up just 4% of the milk market, with 96% of milk sales in 2018 being for cow's milk. "Concerns around health, ethics and the environme

Skin cancer risk 'not just from holiday sun'

Skin cancer rates have "soared" in the UK over the last decade, particularly in men and younger adults, Cancer Research UK (CRUK) has warned. Incidence of melanomas rose in men by 53% - from 19 per 100,000 in 2004-6 to 29 per 100,000 in 2014-16. And diagnoses in 25-49 year olds rose by 78% - from nine per 100,000 in the mid-90s to 16 per 100,000 in 2014-16. The charity said that people needed to remember to protect their skin in the UK, as well as on holiday. Men are more lik

Dementia: Lifestyle changes that could lower your risk

Nearly everyone can lower their risk of dementia, even if it runs in the family, by living a healthy lifestyle, research suggests. The study of nearly 200,000 people showed the risk fell by up to a third. The team at the University of Exeter said the results were exciting, empowering and showed people were not doomed to get dementia. The findings were revealed at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference. What counts as a healthy lifestyle? The researchers gave peo

HPV vaccine for boys 'will prevent thousands of cancers'

Health officials say the HPV vaccine for 12 to 13-year-old boys, starting after the summer, will prevent 29,000 cancers in UK men in the next 40 years. The boys will be eligible from the start of the new school year, 11 years after girls were first vaccinated. The jab protects against human papilloma virus, which causes many oral, throat and anal cancers. One man, Jamie Rae, says he went "to hell and back" during his treatment for throat cancer caused by the virus. "All the t

Amazon Alexa offering NHS health advice

People will be able to get expert health advice using Amazon Alexa devices, under a partnership with the NHS, the government has announced. From this week, the voice-assisted technology is automatically searching the official NHS website when UK users ask for health-related advice. The government in England said it could reduce demand on the NHS. Privacy campaigners have raised data protection concerns but Amazon say all information will be kept confidential. The partnership

Teens less likely to use cannabis when it's legal, US study finds

Teenagers are less likely to use cannabis in places where the drug has been legalised, a new study suggests. Researchers at Montana State University looked at health surveys of US high school pupils between 1993 and 2017. While overall use of the drug among young people went up in the US, teen use declined by nearly 10% in states where recreational use was legalised. Some 33 states have legalised medical cannabis, while 10 states have also legalised recreational use. Cannabis

Obesity 'causes more cases of some cancers than smoking'

Obesity now causes more cases of four common cancers in the UK than smoking, according to a charity. Cancer Research UK says bowel, kidney, ovarian and liver cancers are more likely to have been caused by being overweight than by smoking tobacco. It says millions are at risk of cancer because of their weight and that obese people outnumber smokers two to one. But its new billboard campaign highlighting the obesity-cancer risk has been criticised for fat-shaming. It is not the

Smoking ‘damages eyes as well as lungs’

Millions of people in the UK are putting their sight at risk by continuing to smoke, warn specialists. Despite the clear connection, only one in five people recognise that smoking can lead to blindness, a poll for the Association of Optometrists (AOP) finds. Smokers are twice as likely to lose their sight compared with non-smokers, says the RNIB. That is because tobacco smoke can cause and worsen a number of eye conditions. How smoking can harm your eyes Cigarette smoke conta