The effect of statin-related news stories on people continuing with statin prescriptions and health outcomes in a Danish population is the subject of a paper published in the European Heart Journal. The authors report an association between discontinuing statin use early and heart attack and risk of death from cardiovascular disease. read more
A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has investigated between vaginal birth, planned and unscheduled cesarean delivery, and subsequent health problems or early death of the child, reporting differences in risk of a range of outcomes between the three groups. read more
A review of studies which examine low-energy sweeteners and their effect on energy intake and body weight has been published in the International Journal of Obesity, with the authors reporting that use of such sweeteners does not increase energy intake or body weight, and when the sweeteners are used in place of sugar those measurements can be reduced. read more
An abstract presented at the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology annual meeting has examined cancer incidence in the Swedish population and reports an association between height and risk of developing cancer. read more
A number of types of food have been suggested to have beneficial effects on health, and a team publishing in the journal Heart have investigated an association between chocolate consumption and cardiovascular disease. Based on a meta-analysis, the researchers report that higher intake of chocolate was associated with a lower risk of future cardiovascular events. read more
Publishing in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, researchers have attempted to examine an association between being a single mother and possible poor health later in life. They report that single mothers were at risk of poorer health, but that this risk varied between countries. read more
Researchers publishing in the journal PLOS ONE have investigated a potential link between use of antibiotics during pregnancy, and cerebral palsy and epilepsy in offspring. A link has been suggested previously, and the authors suggest that it is macrolide antibiotics which are associated with these illnesses. read more
A paper published in the journal Diabetologia has attempted to analyse the effect of taking statins on incidence of type 2 diabetes in men, reporting a small increase in absolute risk. read more
A paper published in the BMJ has examined the effect of alcohol on the health of various age groups. They analysed mortality and report that previously beneficial effects of alcohol may be strongest in women of over 65. read more
Researchers have published in the Lancet journal a meta-analysis of the effects of Tamiflu, reporting beneficial effects on alleviation of symptoms and risk of complications, but also on an increase in side effects such as nausea. read more