By Fiona Macrae The key to long life may be to put on a few pounds. Pensioners who are slightly overweight live longer than those of a normal ‘healthy’ weight, a controversial study found. Put another way, there is a time in people’s lives where it is good to be fat. In the largest study of its kind, Australian researchers tracked the health and habits of more than 9,000 over-70s for 10 years. The men and women were divided into categories based on their Body Mass Index, in which weight in pounds is multiplied by 703 divided by the height in inches squared. Read More…

ONE in seven sunbeds breaches radiation safety limits, the European Commission has warned. A survey of more than 500 sunbeds at tanning salons and fitness centres in ten EU countries also revealed a lack of guidance for sunbed users and a failure to observe a ban on their use by under-18s.

The “tipping point” that sets children on the way to a lifetime of obesity often occurs before the age of two, say US researchers. A study of more than 100 obese children and teenagers found more than half were overweight by 24 months and 90% were overweight by the age of five. A quarter were overweight before they were five months old, the researchers reported in Clinical Pediatrics. In the UK, around 27% of children are now overweight. Read More…

Insurance Firms Rake in Profits as They Cut Patients, Advocacy Group Says By EMILY WALKER In the midst of a deep economic recession, America’s health insurance companies increased their profits by 56 percent in 2009, a year that saw 2.7 million people lose their private coverage. The nation’s five largest for-profit insurers closed 2009 with a combined profit of $12.2 billion, according to a report by the advocacy group Health Care for American Now (HCAN). Read More…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says about 12,000 have died from H1N1 infection, far fewer than in a typical flu season. Other data suggest the pandemic is waning. By Thomas H. Maugh II An estimated 57 million Americans have contracted pandemic H1N1 influenza since the outbreak began last April, about 257,000 have been hospitalized with complications from it, and nearly 12,000 have died, according to estimates released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Read More…

Stem cells are cells that can effectively turn into any other type of cell, and are therefore considered one of the most powerful treatment options around. In the early embryo, stem cells divide in order to become every organ and tissue in the body, and adult stem cells generally lie dormant. Read More…

A new study funded by the University of Florida shows that mixing alcohol and energy drinks can be a recipe for disaster. While students down popular combinations like Red Bull and vodka without a second thought, Professor and Director of toxicology at the UF College of Medicine, Bruce Goldberg, says these trendy drinks can lead to a lot of trouble. It is precisely these dangers that prompted the University of Florida to begin investigating. Read More…

By KEVIN SACK A West Texas jury took but an hour Thursday to acquit a nurse who had been charged with a felony after alerting the state medical board that a doctor at her hospital was practicing unsafe medicine. The uncommon prosecution had ignited deep concern among health care workers and advocates for whistle-blowers about a potential chilling effect on the reporting of malpractice. Read More…

By Hazel Cottrell Living in a poorly-heated home puts you at risk of developing serious health problems, so seek help now if you’re struggling with energy bills. Health experts are using Fuel Poverty Awareness Day (today) to warn vulnerable people of the risks of cold homes, and show them how to get help. The National Energy Association (NEA), a fuel poverty charity organising the day, is urging Brits to avoid health risks by taking advantage of the variety of heating grants and schemes available. Dr Miriam Stoppard, who is supporting the day, warned: “As well as hypothermia, being cold causes,...

By Fiona Macrae It is a claim guaranteed to wipe the smug smile off vegetarians’ faces. Meat-free diets can be bad for the planet, say researchers. Vegetarians and green activists have long taken pleasure in telling those who enjoy a good steak that livestock farming is a major source of harmful greenhouse gases. Lord Stern, one of the world’s leading climate change economists, caused uproar among Britain’s farmers in October when he said that cutting down on meat was good for the planet. Read More…