Key to long life? People who are too happy die younger than their more downbeat peers, researchers have claimed People who are ‘too happy’ die younger than their more downbeat peers, claims new research. A study which followed children from the 1920s to old age showed that people who were rated ‘highly cheerful’ by teachers at school died at a younger age than their more reserved classmates. This was because people who were too happy were more likely to suffer from mental disorders such as bipolar, making them less fearful and more likely to take risks that increase the...

By Daily Mail Reporter Epidemic: The genetic breakthrough could help the 62 per cent of Britons who are overweight or obese The ‘master switch’ gene which causes obesity has been identified, scientists have claimed. The DNA is thought to be what controls other genes found in the body’s fat cells. Researchers said the breakthrough could help treat obesity-related diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Scientists have already identified a gene called KLF14 as being linked to type 2 diabetes and cholesterol levels, but until now they didn’t know what role it played. The...

A new vaccine can protect macaques against the monkey equivalent of HIV and could provide a fresh approach to an HIV vaccine, a study suggests. US researchers say the vaccine offered protection to 13 of 24 rhesus macaques treated in the experiment. In 12 of the monkeys, the vaccine was still effective 12 months later. They claim the work, published in the journal Nature, could “significantly contribute” to the development of an effective HIV/Aids vaccine. The researchers gave 24 healthy rhesus macaques a vaccine containing a genetically modified form of the virus, rhesus cytomegalovirus...

The best way to persuade someone to do as you wish is to speak moderately quickly, pause frequently and not be too animated, US researchers suggest. The study analysed just under 1,400 calls trying to persuade people to take part in phone surveys. Those who spoke very fast, did not pause or were too animated were least successful. A UK language expert said it showed “it’s not about what you say, but how you say it”. The University of Michigan Institute of Social Research study used recordings of introductory calls made by 100 male and female telephone interviewers at the institute....

The gene, identified as TRIM5, appears to offer protection from the deadly virus. A certain gene in some monkeys can help boost vaccine protection against simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), a trait that could help researchers develop better AIDS vaccines for humans, suggested a study out Wednesday. Researchers vaccinated a large group of rhesus monkeys and then exposed them to SIV repeatedly over the course of two weeks. Half became infected, but the other half did not. Those who resisted infection were more likely to express a certain gene, identified as TRIM5. The findings could help researchers...

Doctors and public health officials have been telling us for years that eating too much sodium can increase the risk of heart attack or stroke by raising blood pressure to unsafe levels. So how to explain a new study that suggests low salt intake actually increases the risk of dying from those causes? The study, which followed 3,681 healthy European men and women age 60 or younger for about eight years, also found that above-average sodium intake did not appear to up the risk of developing high blood pressure (hypertension) or dying of a heart attack or stroke. Read more…

(Reuters) – One out of every 38 children in South Korea may have autism, a surprisingly high number based on a new research approach that suggests autism is a global problem that is significantly underdiagnosed, researchers said on Monday. The estimate, which translates into 2.64 percent of children, is far higher than the estimated 1 percent rate seen in studies in the United States and Europe. The study is the first to estimate autism in South Korea, and while the study needs to be confirmed, it suggests autism may be more common than previously thought. “Are we surprised? Yes,”...

A controlled diet high in fat and low in carbohydrate can repair kidney damage in diabetic mice, according to US scientists. The study, published in journal PLoS ONE, showed a “ketogenic diet” could reverse damage caused to tubes in the kidneys by too much sugar in the blood. In the UK around a third of the 2.8m people with either type 1 or 2 diabetes go on to develop kidney damage. Diabetes UK said it was “questionable” whether humans could sustain the diet. Damage reversed The researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York used mice with both type 1 and...

Babies who cry excessively and have problems feeding and sleeping have a greater risk of serious behavioural problems later in life, say scientists. One in five babies has symptoms that could lead to conditions such as ADHD, according to research published in Archives of Disease in Childhood. The review of previous studies looked at nearly 17,000 children. A child-health expert said it would be wrong for parents to be “overly alarmed” by the results. Crying in babies is normal, but some cry “excessively” after the age of three months for reasons other than colic. An international...

By Michelle Roberts – Health reporter, BBC News A part of the eye that is essential for vision has been created in the laboratory from animal stem cells, offering hope to the blind and partially sighted. One day it might be possible to make an eye in a dish, Nature journal reports. The Japanese team used mouse stem cells – immature cells that have the ability to turn into many types of body tissue. With the right mix of nutrients, the cells changed and began to grow to make a synthetic retina. Ultimately, scientists hope they can use this approach to make endless supplies of retinal...