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Behind the Headlines

Your guide to the science that makes the news

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Does the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet work?

Monday Jan 14 2013

Does the 5:2 diet work? – the evidence for intermittent fasting

The 5:2 diet, and other forms of intermittent fasting (IF) have become increasingly popular, with claims that IF can help you lose weight, live longer and prevent disease. But is there any evidence to support these claims?...

Pill-size camera may make cancer diagnosis easier

Monday Jan 14 2013

Pill-size camera may make cancer screening easier

'Doctors have made a pill-sized device that can take detailed microscopic images of inside the gullet' BBC News explains. It is hoped that this new technology will make diagnosing digestive system cancers easier…

Body shape stories fail to kill off myths

Monday Jan 14 2013

Being pear-shaped 'doesn’t lower' heart disease risk

"Pear-shaped women aren't protected from heart disease," the Daily Mail warns, going on to say that a new study "overturns 'myth' that it's better to have wobbly thighs than a fat stomach." Despite the headline...

Passive smoking link to dementia

Friday Jan 11 2013

Passive smoking link to dementia

"Passive smoking can dramatically increase the risk of developing severe dementia," is the Daily Mail’s headline. The newspaper reports that a study has been the first to show a significant link between secondhand smoke and dementia...

Wrong fat in pregnancy diet 'may make kids fatter'

Friday Jan 11 2013

Eating 'wrong kind of fat' in pregnancy may affect child weight

Pregnant women who eat too much of the ‘wrong’ type of fat are likely to have fatter children' the Daily Mail advises. The advice is based on a UK study that found a link between maternal consumption of omega 6 fatty acids and the child’s weight…

New strain of norovirus detected

Thursday Jan 10 2013

New strain of norovirus detected – Sydney 2012

The emergence of a new Australian strain of norovirus – the ‘winter vomiting bug’ – has featured in most newspapers today. The Daily Telegraph reports that the new strain is to blame for the record number of cases of the virus seen this winter...

Breast cancer drug studies 'subject to spin'

Thursday Jan 10 2013

Breast cancer drug studies 'subject to spin'

The Daily Telegraph reports the alarming news "Breast cancer drug trials 'spun for impact'," saying that trial results are spun to make treatments appear more beneficial than they actually are...

Jabs 'more upsetting' for babies of first-time mums

Wednesday Jan 9 2013

Babies of worried mums 'feel more pain' during jabs

"Babies with anxious mothers 'feel more pain' during jabs," was today's headline in The Daily Telegraph. The story comes from a study looking at whether a baby's "pain behaviours"...

Claims ginseng is 'new Viagra' just don’t stand up

Wednesday Jan 9 2013

Ginseng 'new Viagra' claims just don't stand up

'Forget Viagra, a tablet made from ginseng could boost a man's love life' is misleading speculation in the Daily Mail as they report on a study which actually found that the ginseng was no better than placebo in treating erectile dysfunction…

Is children's asthma made worse by inhalers?

Tuesday Jan 8 2013

Could asthma drug choice be aided by spit test?

Genetic tests could pave way to 'personalised' asthma drugs The Guardian reports while warning that current treatments may make symptoms worse. They report on a study which found that children with certain genes responded better to specific treatments…

News: 'Half of all health news is spun'

Read about the September 2012 study that found over-optimism about scientific results from researchers, press offices and journalists alike

Miracle cure or scam?

Will an online miracle cure provide the answer to your health problem?

Stem cell research in the news

Stem cells are often portrayed in the media as a miracle cure for many serious conditions and disabilities. We analyse the facts behind theses stories

Miracle Foods: myths and the media

Each day there's a new crop of possibly life-changing headlines about how food affects our health. Read our report on the health properties of food

Video: the placebo effect

Watch Ben Goldacre explain what the placebo effect is and describes its role in medical research and in the pharmaceutical industry

Alcohol, myths and the media

Can lager help you live longer? Can wine help you lose weight? We take a sober look at the media’s claims about alcohol, and what the science actually says

Link to Couch to 5K running plan

Couch to 5K running plan

Download the podcasts to go from total beginner to running 5K in just nine weeks

LifeCheck

Take a LifeCheck

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How to read health news

How to read health news

Fact or fiction? Killer or cure? We show you how to look Behind the Headlines.

What is Behind the Headlines?

What is Behind the Headlines?

We give you the facts without the fiction. Professor Sir Muir Gray, founder of Behind the Headlines, explains more...

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