news 2018

Policies aimed at removing sweets and crisps from checkouts could lead to a dramatic reduction in the amount of unhealthy food purchased to eat 'on the go' and a significant reduction in that purchased to take home, suggests new research led by the University of Cambridge.

Researchers at the University of Glasgow are collaborating with Malawian scientists to try to find out why some people in Malawi develop type 2 diabetes - even though many are slim and highly active. Worldwide, diabetes is on the rise with almost 400 million people living with the disease - a figure that is predicted to rise to about 600 million in 2035.

Introducing a health tax on red and processed meat could prevent more than 220,000 deaths and save over US$40 billion in healthcare costs every year, new Oxford University research suggests. Published today in the journal PLoS One , the study conducted by the Oxford Martin School and the Nuffield Department of Population Health focused on optimal levels of taxation for red and processed meat in 149 world regions, to account for the cost burden on healthcare systems and spur changes in consumption patterns.

Replacing food with a diet of soups, shakes and bars starting at 810 calories per day alongside regular sessions with a counsellor is a safe and clinically effective way to treat obesity in primary care, finds a study from Oxford University researchers. Total diet replacement programmes are not generally funded by the NHS in England but the authors of this study, published in the BMJ , suggest that there is now enough evidence for these programmes to be one of the treatments recommended for people who are obese.

New findings suggest that more intensive agriculture might be the "least bad" option for feeding the world while saving its species - provided use of such "land-efficient" systems prevents further conversion of wilderness to farmland. Agriculture that appears to be more eco-friendly but uses more land may actually have greater environmental costs per unit of food than "high-yield" farming that uses less land, a new study has found.

New research involving dairy experts at the University of Nottingham suggests that more intensive agriculture might be the 'least bad' option for feeding the world, while saving its species - provided use of such "land-efficient" systems prevents further conversion of wilderness to farmland. The study found that agriculture that appears to be more eco-friendly but uses more land may actually have greater environmental costs per unit of food than "high-yield" farming that uses less land.

New findings suggest that more intensive agriculture might be the "least bad" option for feeding the world while saving its species - provided use of such "land-efficient" systems prevents further conversion of wilderness to farmland. Our results suggest that high-yield farming could be harnessed to meet the growing demand for food without destroying more of the natural world Andrew Balmford Agriculture that appears to be more eco-friendly but uses more land may actually have greater environmental costs per unit of food than "high-yield" farming that uses less land, a new study has found.

Diseases such as cancer, heart disease and stroke are deadlier in the developing world than in rich nations. This is the finding of a new analysis from researchers at Imperial College London. The paper revealed that death rates in low and middle income tropical countries from so-called non-communicable diseases (NCDs), are higher than from NCDs in Western countries.

The charred remains of a flatbread baked by hunter-gatherers over 14,000 years ago has been discovered in north-eastern Jordan by a team of researchers from UCL, University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge. It is the oldest direct evidence of bread found to date, predating the advent of agriculture by at least 4,000 years.

Daily travel by bike leads to the lowest BMI, according to a study of seven European cities, suggesting cities should promote active commutes. More bike-friendly cities would also help reduce pollution and tackle air pollution, say the study's authors. The analysis of data from seven European cities - part of the European Commission funded Physical Activity through Sustainable Transport Approaches (PASTA) project - suggests that daily cyclists weigh less than their non-active counterparts.

Bumblebees placed in urban areas produce more offspring than colonies in agricultural areas, concludes a surprising new study. The research, led by academics from Royal Holloway University of London and including an Imperial College London researcher, is published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B .

If current trends continue, almost a quarter (22%) of the people in the world will be obese by 2045 (up from 14% in 2017), and one in eight (12%) will have type 2 diabetes (up from 9% in 2017), according to a study presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Vienna, Austria (23-26 May).

Treating leg ulcers within two weeks by closing faulty veins improves healing by 12% compared to standard treatment, according to new findings The research, led by Imperial College London and funded by the National Institute for Health Research , studied 450 UK patients with the most common type of leg ulcers known as venous ulcers.

Children who get less than the recommended amount of sleep for their age are at a higher risk of developing obesity. Research at the University of Warwick has found that children and adolescents who regularly sleep less than others of the same age gain more weight when they grow older and are more likely to become overweight or obese.

The idea that it might be possible to be overweight or obese but not at increased risk of heart disease, otherwise known as the "obesity paradox", has been challenged by a study of nearly 300,000 people published in in the European Heart Journal . ‌This latest research shows that the risk of heart and blood vessel problems, such as heart attacks, strokes and high blood pressure, increases as body mass index (BMI) increases beyond a BMI of 22-23 kg/m2.

Girls who start puberty earlier are more likely to be overweight as adults, finds new research from Imperial College London. The researchers say their findings, published today in the International Journal of Obesity , strengthen existing evidence of a link between the onset of puberty and a woman's body mass in adulthood.

Smoking is associated with significantly higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to new research in China published in The Lancet Public Health . The prevalence of diabetes has increased almost 10-fold in China since the early 1980s, with one in 10 adults in China now affected by diabetes.

Women with bigger waists relative to their hips face a proportionately greater risk of experiencing a heart attack than men who have a similar 'apple shape', new research from The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford has found. The study, of nearly 500,000 people who provided data to the UK Biobank, suggests that in both sexes, the waist-to-hip ratio is a better predictor of heart attacks than general obesity, as measured by weight relative to body size using the body mass index (BMI).

New evidence published in the Cochrane Library today shows that adding calorie labels to menus and next to food in restaurants, coffee shops and cafeterias, could reduce the calories that people consume, although the quality of evidence is low.

Extreme droughts in the Brazilian Amazon are causing forest fires that release significant carbon emissions, reveals a new study. Despite significant achievements by the Brazilian authorities in curbing carbon emissions from deforestation, these gains could be undermined by repeated droughts in the 21st Century.