Behind the Headlines

Could sleeping pill effect be half placebo?

Friday Dec 21 2012

Around half the benefit of taking sleeping pills comes from the placebo effect, the Daily Mail reports. Its story is based on a study that looked at the effectiveness of medicines called 'Z drugs', which are widely prescribed for insomnia...

Trojan horse therapy 'can beat cancer'

Friday Dec 21 2012

BBC News reports that an experimental therapy hides "cancer killing viruses inside the immune system in order to sneak them into a tumour" and that this "Trojan-horse therapy 'completely eliminates' cancer in mice"...

Family meals 'help kids get their five-a-day'

Thursday Dec 20 2012

'Family meals aid five-a-day: Eating together at the table boosts children's intake of fruit and vegetables,' the Daily Mail reports. The news is from a study that aimed to explore the influence that the home...

Social networking 'makes people snack more'

Thursday Dec 20 2012

"Facebook 'encourages unhealthy snacking'," according to The Daily Telegraph. It reports on a study that apparently found that socialising with close friends online on social networks such as Facebook and Twitter...

Knowing how far to walk to burn calories 'aids healthy food choice'

Wednesday Dec 19 2012

'Menus that say how far you have to walk to burn off your favourite foods really can help' the Daily Mail explains. A new study suggests that focusing people’s mind on the physical activity required to burn off calories makes them less likely to pig out…

'Little point taking antibiotics for coughs'

Wednesday Dec 19 2012

'Antibiotics 'ineffective for coughs' BBC News reports while the Daily Mail adds that widely used antibiotics such as amoxicillin 'may be harmful'. Both headlines are promoted by an ambitious study in the Lancet comparing amoxicillin to a placebo...

New NHS planning guidance puts patient first

Tuesday Dec 18 2012

Many of the newspapers are reporting on the publication of new planning guidance for the NHS, released by the NHS Commissioning Board, which they say will "drive a revolution for patients…giving them greater control of their health"...

TV chefs' recipes 'less healthy' than ready meals

Tuesday Dec 18 2012

'Researchers say recipes from Jamie Oliver and Nigella Lawson contain more calories and fat than meals from supermarkets,' The Guardian reports. This comes after a study that analysed the nutritional content of 100 recipes in bestselling cookery books…

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Energy drinks 'no better than a strong coffee'

Monday Dec 17 2012

'The only useful ingredient in beverages such as Redbull is caffeine', according to the Daily Mail, after new research argues that claims that other ingredients such as guarana and ginseng can boost energy, maybe a 'load of old bull'…

1 comment about ‘Energy drinks 'no better than a strong coffee'’:

Does marriage lower depression risk?

Monday Dec 17 2012

'Married women are less likely to suffer depression than cohabiters or singletons,' according to the Daily Mail. The claim is based on a large Canadian survey...