Health and Medicine

“Friendly” bacteria (probiotics) given to babies during weaning may help alleviate the symptoms of eczema, suggests research in Gut.

The researchers studied 21 infants who already had evidence of atopic (allergic) eczema, and were at heightened risk for chronic allergic disease.

When the babies were weaned onto hydrolysed whey formula feed, eight of them reacted adversely to it. Among the remaining 13, seven were fed the formula supplemented with probiotic bacteria – Bifidobacte

Alcohol is unlikely to protect drinkers from the risk of developing adult onset (type II) diabetes, concludes research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Alcohol seems to confer only a slight advantage in moderate drinkers, the research shows.

To date, the effects of light to moderate alcohol consumption on the risk of developing adult onset diabetes remain unclear.

The researchers monitored over 5000 men between the ages of 40 and 59 for almost 17 years. None of t

Researchers have discovered a possible added benefit of hormone replacement therapy: saving teeth.

Postmenopausal women who took a daily dose of estrogen along with calcium, vitamin D and regular dental check-ups improved the condition of their jaw, which could potentially reduce the risk of tooth loss. Women who had regular check-ups but took only calcium and vitamin D also improved jaw mass and density, though to a significantly lesser extent than those who received estrogen.

Babywalkers are associated with significant delay in achieving normal locomotor milestones in infants, such as crawling, standing, and walking, and should be discouraged, concludes a study in this week’s BMJ.

Researchers in Ireland surveyed parents of 190 normal healthy infants (83 boys and 107 girls), born at term and attending registered day care centres. They asked parents to record the age at which their child reached various developmental milestones including rolling over, sitting alone

A Swedish study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET confirms that people admitted to hospital with an acute heart attack are at an increased risk of having undiagnosed diabetes or increased glucose intolerance. Findings of the new study suggest that the fasting glucose of patients or high glucose concentrations immediately after heart attack could be a marker of patients at high risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease.

People with diabetes who have myocardial infarction (heart attack) are

Denied sugar, bingeing rats suffered withdrawal

It’s a common refrain: “I’m addicted to sugar.” Now a study by Princeton University psychologists suggests that such urges really may be a form of addiction, sharing some of the physiological characteristics of drug dependence.

Although the term “sugar addiction” often appears in magazines and on television, scientists had not demonstrated that such a thing as sugar dependency really exists, said neuroscientist Bart H