Category: Health

Ljupco Smokovski/Shutterstock The use of dietary supplements has increased sharply in recent years. Vitamins, minerals and other nutritional products are often marketed as simple ways to boost energy, support immunity, protect brain health or even promote longevity. For many people, taking supplements can feel like a sensible, proactive health habit. But this perception can be […]

Highly moralised food messaging may encourage disordered eating patterns. superbeststock/Shutterstock For many people interested in health and wellbeing, the idea of ultra-processed food, or UPF, has become more than a technical term in nutrition research. In public debate, it often serves as shorthand for wider concerns about modern, industrially produced food. Those concerns are not […]

Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock.com Artificial intelligence can now outperform doctors at diagnosing patients in the emergency department, according to a new study in Science. The AI was given written notes from real emergency department records from a hospital in Boston, US, and asked to weigh in at different points during the patient’s care. At the earliest stage – […]

Peas are seriously underrated. masa44/ Shutterstock Peas aren’t often seen as a particularly exciting vegetable. They tend to be treated as a basic side dish or something people eat out of habit, rather than choice. But they’re also cheap, widely available and contain a combination of nutrients that can have a positive impact on our […]

SvetikovaV/ Shutterstock The first ever avian influenza vaccine recently started trials in the UK. This marks a milestone in the prevention of bird flu infections in humans. The vaccine targets the H5N1 flu strain, which causes severe infections in bird populations worldwide. However, this strain of bird flu virus is also able to spread to […]

Anton Gvozdikov/Shutterstock.com I wouldn’t say that I’m afraid of heights. I can stand on a cliff path or look out from a tall building without the rush of panic people often associate with vertigo. What I really dislike is something much harder to explain: the peculiar feeling in my feet. It’s a sensation that’s difficult […]

By twelve votes, the Scottish parliament rejected the assisted dying for terminally ill adults bill on March 17. The debate that preceded it was emotionally charged and, at moments, genuinely moving. MSPs spoke of parents, partners, faith and fear. Much of it turned on the contents of the bill – safeguards, eligibility criteria and conscience […]

Researchers have long wondered why some people with chronic pain develop depression. yourphotopie/ Shutterstock Chronic pain has long been known to be associated with depression. Among adults with chronic pain, around 40% exhibit clinical symptoms of depression. But why is it that only some people with chronic pain develop depression? Researchers have long been wondering […]

The millions of microbes living in your gut have far-reaching effects on health. New Africa/ Shutterstock The trillions of microbes living in the human gut are increasingly recognised as important partners in human health. Scientists have linked the gut microbiome to several aspects of health, from metabolism and immunity to mental health. A recent study […]

Endometriosis can be extremely painful. Wasana Kunpol/ Shutterstock Endometriosis is a painful, debilitating condition affecting 10% of women worldwide. It occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (known as lesions) grows elsewhere in the body – usually within the pelvis. Treating endometriosis can be difficult. Usually, treatment involves either preventing the growth […]