elnathan Blog

New research reveals the extraordinary impact that your mother's diet at the time of your conception has on the rest of your life, writes Michael Mosley. A couple of months ago, I found myself in a small village in Keneba, in The Gambia, chatting to a perky 90-year-old, Karamo Touray, surrounded by his many children and grandchildren. Apart from a sore toe, he said he was in good shape and he attributed the fact he had enjoyed such a long and healthy life to the will of Allah. I suspect that the time of year when he was conceived may also have played a role. A team from Britain's Medical Research Council, which has been collecting data on births, marriages and deaths in Keneba since the 1940s, discovered some years ago that in this part of The Gambia when you are conceived makes a huge difference to your chances of dying prematurely. If you are conceived in, say, January and born in September then, as an adult, you are seven times more likely to die in any giv

Cancer is not just 'bad luck' but down to environment, study suggests By James Gallagher Health editor. Cancer is overwhelmingly a result of environmental factors and not largely down to bad luck, a study suggests. Earlier this year, researchers sparked a debate after suggesting two-thirds of cancer types were down to luck rather than factors such as smoking. The new study, in the journal Nature , used four approaches to conclude only 10-30% of cancers were down to the way the body naturally functions or "luck". Experts said the analysis was "pretty convincing". How to reduce your cancer risk Cancer is caused by one of the body's own stem cells going rogue and dividing out of control. That can be caused either by intrinsic factors that are part of the innate way the body operates, such as the risk of mutations occurring every time a cell divides, or extrinsic factors such as smoking, UV radiation and many others that have

Healthily eating habit, more exercise and cutting down on alcohol could prevent a third of world cancer cases, figures indicate. Data from the World Cancer Research Fund suggests that 20,000 cases of breast cancer and about 19,000 cases of bowel cancer could be stopped each year with small changes in lifestyle. In 2013, there were more than 351,000 new cases of cancer in the UK. The WCRF said 84,000 could have been prevented. Head of research Dr Rachel Thompson said simple changes to diet and lifestyle could make "a huge difference" in the battle against cancer. "Even minor adjustments, like 10 to 15 extra minutes of physical activity each day, cutting down on alcohol, or limiting your intake of high calorie foods and sugary drinks, will help decrease your cancer risk," she said. She said that after cutting out smoking, being a healthy body weight was the most important thing people could do to cut their risk of getting cancer. "There is st

Picking the best painkiller By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online Supermarket shelves are packed with different painkilling products, but do they all do the same thing? There are some simple ways consumers can check they are getting the right treatment and the best deal, Neal Patel, of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, says. Read the ingredients Nurofen, for example, contains 200 milligrams of ibuprofen per tablet. But supermarkets and chemists also sell cheaper own-brand packets of tablets that contain 200 milligrams of ibuprofen. And both will do the exactly the same job. Some formulations - ibuprofen lysine, for example - may be quick-release to provide more rapid relief. And different painkillers - paracetamol, ibuprofen and aspirin, for example - can work better for different types of pain. Which pain? Paracetamol is good for headaches and toothache. It can also help bring down a temperature, so is handy for conditions such as flu.