Behind the Headlines

Research could lead to 'universal' flu vaccine

Thursday May 23 2013

“Scientists create new flu vaccine that works against many different strains of the virus,” The Independent reports. This headline, and several others like it, is based on early stage research into the development of alternative flu vaccine technologies…

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Cold weather may increase blood pressure

Wednesday May 22 2013

'Bad weather could raise your blood pressure and even kill you,' is the unnecessarily alarmist headline in the Daily Mail. It reports on a large, complex study that looked for any association between changes in weather and blood pressure…

Job stress may raise our 'bad cholesterol' levels

Monday May 20 2013

'A stressful job really can kill you – by raising your cholesterol,' reports the Mail Online website. This headline is based on Spanish research that looked at the relationship between job stress and lipid (fat) levels in the blood of more than 90,000…

Novel coronavirus 'limited' spread between people

Monday May 13 2013

The World Health Organization has released a statement warning that the new SARS-like coronavirus, first detected in the Middle East, is likely to be able to spread through close person-to-person contact…

Young blood may help rejuvenate old hearts

Friday May 10 2013

The Daily Mail claims a study has found a ‘Vampire treatment that rejuvenates ageing hearts’. But before you go to grab your cloak and false pointy teeth, the research it reports on was actually in mice…

Even 'light' smoking may raise women's arthritis risk

Tuesday Apr 23 2013

"Smoking just a few cigarettes a day more than doubles a woman's risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis," the Mail Online website reveals. The website reports on a Swedish study that found women who smoke…

Gene that prevents heart regeneration discovered

Thursday Apr 18 2013

Scientists have discovered a gene that "could rejuvenate old hearts" according to The Daily Telegraph. The newspaper goes on to say that "damaged hearts could be regenerated simply by switching off a gene which prevents cells from dividing"…

Beetroot's effect on blood pressure is uncertain

Tuesday Apr 16 2013

"Beetroot 'can lower blood pressure'," BBC News confidently reports. But the truth about whether beetroot can really lower your blood pressure is a little more unclear than the headlines suggest. The news comes from…

Today's adults 'unhealthier than their parents' were

Thursday Apr 11 2013

"Today's adults are so unhealthy they are 15 years 'older' than their parents and grandparents at the same age," reports The Daily Telegraph. This gloomy message is based on...

Hard times in Cuba linked to better national health

Wednesday Apr 10 2013

"The Cuban diet – eat less, exercise more – and preventable deaths are halved," is the advice in The Independent. This is not a new Latin diet and dance fad, but news based on research into how Cuba’s rollercoaster economic history...

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