Food poverty 'a health emergency'

3 December 2013 Last updated at 21:26 ET By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News

Food poverty in the UK has now become such a big problem that it should be seen as a "public health emergency", a group of health experts says.

In a letter to the British Medical Journal, six leading public health figures warned poor nutrition could lead to a host of problems.

It comes amid reports that people are struggling to feed themselves.

The UK Red Cross has started asking for food donations for the first time since World War Two.

And in October the Trussell Trust, which runs 400 food banks, said the numbers of people it was helping had tripled to 350,000 in the past year.

The letter also cited research from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that indicated the amount of money being spent on food by households had fallen by over 8% in real terms over the past five years.

Families with young children have been hit the hardest.

The study also suggested that much of the savings had been made by people buying cheaper, processed food.

'Alarming developments'

The BMJ letter, signed by academics and pubic health directors, said this had "all the signs of a public health emergency".

It warned malnutrition, particularly during childhood, could have lifelong effects including increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic illness.

David Taylor-Robinson, a population health scientists at the Medical Research Council and one of the authors of the letter, added: "It is clear people are increasingly struggling with their food bills.

"We need to start monitoring this and treating it as a public health problem."

Chris Mould, the executive chairman of Trussell Trust, said he wanted the government to set up an official inquiry because "these alarming developments point towards serious trouble for the nation in the years ahead unless urgent action is taken now".

But a government spokesman said action had been taken to help people with the cost of living, including increasing the tax-free personal allowance and freezing council tax and fuel duty.

He added: "The benefits system supports millions of people who are on low incomes or unemployed and there is no robust evidence that welfare reforms are linked to increased use of food banks."

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Exercise 'is good dementia therapy'

3 December 2013 Last updated at 20:47 ET

People with dementia who exercise improve their thinking abilities and everyday life, a body of medical research concludes.

The Cochrane Collaboration carried out a systematic review of eight exercise trials involving more than 300 patients living at home or in care.

Exercise did little for patients' moods, the research concluded.

But it did help them carry out daily activities such as rising from a chair, and boosted their cognitive skills.

Continue reading the main story

Though we can't say that exercise will prevent dementia, evidence does suggest it can help reduce the risk of the condition as part of a healthy lifestyle"

End Quote Dr Laura Phipps of Alzheimer's Research UK

Whether these benefits improve quality of life is still unclear, but the study authors say the findings are reason for optimism.

Dementia affects some 800,000 people in the UK. And the number of people with the condition is steadily increasing because people are living longer.

It is estimated that by 2021, the number of people with dementia in the UK will have increased to around one million.

With no cure, ways to improve the lives of those living with the condition are vital.

Researcher Dorothy Forbes, of the University of Alberta, and colleagues who carried out the Cochrane review, said: "Clearly, further research is needed to be able to develop best practice guidelines to enable healthcare providers to advise people with dementia living at home or in institutions.

"We also need to understand what level and intensity of exercise is beneficial for someone with dementia."

Dr Laura Phipps of Alzheimer's Research UK said: "We do know that exercise is an important part of keeping healthy, and though we can't say that exercise will prevent dementia, evidence does suggest it can help reduce the risk of the condition as part of a healthy lifestyle."

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'Let me keep my dead husband's sperm'

4 December 2013 Last updated at 08:46 ET

A woman has begun a legal bid to prevent her dead husband's frozen sperm from being destroyed.

Beth Warren, 28, has been told by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that the sperm cannot be stored beyond April 2015.

Her husband, Warren Brewer, a ski instructor, died of a brain tumour at the age of 32 in February 2012.

His sperm was stored before treatment, and he made it clear his wife should be allowed to use it posthumously.

"Start Quote

I do not know what will happen in the future and I would like to have the choice left open to be able to have my husband's child as I know he would have wanted."

End Quote Beth Warren

The couple, who were together for eight years, married in a hospice six weeks before his death. She subsequently changed her surname to Warren.

"I understand that it's a huge decision to have a child who will never meet their father, " said Mrs Warren, who lives in Birmingham.

"I cannot make that choice now and need more time to build my life back. I may never go ahead with treatment but I want to have the freedom to decide once I am no longer grieving.

"My brother died in a car accident just weeks before my husband's death, so there has been a huge amount to cope with."

Mrs Warren was initially told that her husband's last consent form elapsed in April 2013, but has subsequently been granted two brief extensions amounting to two years. The frozen sperm is stored at the CARE fertility clinic in Northampton.

Her lawyer, James Lawford Davies said the 2009 regulations created injustice.

"Common-sense dictates that she should be allowed time to recover from the loss of her husband and brother and not be forced into making such an important reproductive choice at this point in her life."

Mr Lawford Davies said there were a number of inconsistencies about the regulations.

The sperm has to be used by April 2015, but if it was thawed and used to create embryos, these could be stored for a further seven years.

The time limit also means that Mrs Warren could use the sperm to create one child but not a second.

There is also no restriction on the sperm being exported, which would mean Mrs Warren could be treated abroad in the future, but not in the UK.

The case will be heard next year by a judge from the Family Division of the High Court.

Options open

In her legal submission Mrs Warren said: "I am aware that I may in decide not the use the stored samples in the event that I meet someone in the future and choose to have a family with him.

Regulations for storage of sperm and eggs in the UK

Patients about to undergo radiotherapy often have sperm or eggs removed as the treatment can cause infertility.

Regulations which came into force in 2009 allow for gametes to be stored for up to 55 years provided that the person who provided the sperm or eggs renews their consent every ten years.

But patients who die are unable to renew their consent, setting a shorter time limit on storage.

"I do not know what will happen in the future and I would like to have the choice left open to be able to have my husband's child as I know he would have wanted."

In a statement the fertility regulator said: "The HFEA has every sympathy with Mrs Warren and the tragic circumstance in which she finds herself.

"We have been in discussions with Mrs Warren's solicitors for some time and each time new information has been presented to us, we have reconsidered the legal situation in as responsive a way as possible.

"However, the law on the storage of gametes is clear and the HFEA has no discretion to extend the storage period beyond that to which her husband gave written consent."

The case will renew the debate over the ethics of posthumous conception.

In 1997 Diane Blood won the right to conceive a child using sperm from her dead husband.

The Court of Appeal ruled against the HFEA and said that Mrs Blood should be allowed to seek treatment abroad.

But in that case the sperm had been removed when he was in a coma and without his written consent. Mrs Blood went on to have two sons after treatment in Belgium.

In this case Mr Brewer had his sperm stored prior to radiotherapy treatment in 2005, and in subsequent years signed several forms stating that his wife could use the samples.

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Healthy obesity is a 'myth'

3 December 2013 Last updated at 06:38 ET By Helen Briggs BBC News

The idea of "healthy obesity" is a myth, research suggests.

Excess fat still carries health risks even when cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar levels are normal, according to a study of more than 60,000 people.

It has been argued that being overweight does not necessarily imply health risks if individuals remain healthy in other ways.

The research, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, contradicts this idea.

The study looked at findings from more than 1,000 published studies.

Continue reading the main story

This really casts doubt on the existence of healthy obesity"

End Quote Dr Ravi Retnakaran Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto

Researchers from the Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, found there was no healthy pattern of increased weight when heart health was monitored for more than 10 years.

They argue that people who are metabolically healthy but overweight probably have underlying risk factors that worsen over time.

Study leader Dr Ravi Retnakaran told BBC News: "This really casts doubt on the existence of healthy obesity.

"This data is suggesting that both patients who are obese who are metabolically unhealthy and patients who are obese who are metabolically healthy are both at increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, such that benign obesity may indeed be a myth."

Heart risk

The British Heart Foundation says obesity is a known risk factor for heart disease and the research shows there is no healthy level of obesity.

Senior cardiac nurse, Doireann Maddock, said: "So, even if your blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels are normal, being obese can still put your heart at risk."

She said it was useful to think of lifestyle overall rather than individual risk factors.

"As well as watching your weight, if you stop smoking, get regular physical activity and keep your blood pressure and cholesterol levels at a healthy level, you can make a real difference in reducing your risk of heart disease.

"If you are concerned about your weight and want to know more about the changes you should make, visit your GP to talk it through."

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Inquiry into donor blood vCJD risk

2 December 2013 Last updated at 19:08 ET By Michelle Roberts Health editor, BBC News online

An inquiry is being launched to check the safety of donor blood amid fears of infection from the human form of "mad cow disease".

The Commons Science and Technology Committee called for the inquiry after studies revealed one in every 2,000 Britons could be carrying variant CJD.

Although these people may never develop symptoms, they could spread the disease to others via blood.

Donor blood is not tested for vCJD, but precautions are taken to cut the risk.

Continue reading the main story

Although the risk of developing the disease as a result of eating contaminated beef was long ago eliminated, it is possible that the infection could still be unwittingly spread through medical procedures"

End Quote Committee chairman Andrew Miller MP

To limit the transmission risk from blood, organs and tissues, NHS Blood and Transplant excludes donors whom it deems to be at higher risk of infection, such as those who themselves have had a blood transfusion.

Donor blood is stripped of white cells to further minimise infection risk.

And wherever possible, disposable instruments are used for retrieving of donor tissues. Where this is not possible, the instruments are sterilised to kill off any traces of the prion disease.

But experts are questioning whether such measures are enough.

Uncertainty

Committee chairman Andrew Miller MP said: "Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease is a terrible condition and we were extremely concerned to hear evidence that this incurable disease still poses a significant risk to public health.

"Although the risk of developing the disease as a result of eating contaminated beef was long ago eliminated, it is possible that the infection could still be unwittingly spread through medical procedures.

"We were told that this may happen through failure to properly clean medical instruments, or, even more worryingly, through widespread contamination of the blood and organ supply.

"We want to explore whether the government is taking this threat as seriously as it should be."

Since the link between vCJD and a disease called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle was discovered in 1996, strict controls have prevented meat from infected cattle from entering the food chain.

But people who ate infected meat before the controls came into force may unknowingly be carrying the infection.

To date, there have been 177 UK deaths from vCJD. Most of these occurred in the late 90s and early 2000s. There has been only one death in the past two years.

NHS Blood and Transplant says the UK has one of the safest blood supplies in the world.

A spokeswoman said: "We are constantly looking to increase scientific understanding of risks of disease transmission through blood, organ and tissue donation.

"We will submit evidence to this inquiry."

Scientists have been developing a blood test for vCJD but none has yet been adopted for routinely screening donor blood.

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Men and women 'wired differently'

3 December 2013 Last updated at 08:45 ET

Men and women's brains are wired in completely different ways which may explain why the sexes excel at certain tasks, brain scans reveal.

US researchers at the University of Pennsylvania scanned the brains of nearly 1,000 men, women, boys and girls and found striking differences.

Male brains are wired front to back, with few connections bridging the two hemispheres.

In females, the connections criss-cross between left and right.

These differences might explain why men, in general, tend to be better at learning and performing a single task, like cycling or navigating, whereas women are more equipped for multitasking, say the researchers in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The same volunteers were asked to perform a series of cognitive tests, and the results appeared to support this notion.

Women scored well on attention, word and face memory, and social cognition. Men performed better on spatial processing and sensori-motor speed.

Researcher Dr Ruben Gur said: "It's quite striking how complementary the brains of women and men really are.

"Detailed connectome maps of the brain will not only help us better understand the differences between how men and women think, but it will also give us more insight into the roots of neurological disorders, which are often sex related."

But Prof Heidi Johansen-Berg, an expert in neuroscience at the University of Oxford, said the brain was too complex and organ to be able to make broad generalisations.

"We know that there is no such thing as 'hard wiring' when it comes to brain connections. Connections can change throughout life, in response to experience and learning.

"Often, sophisticated mathematical approaches are used to analyse and describe these brain networks. These methods can be useful to identify differences between groups, but it is often challenging to interpret those differences in biological terms."

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Cholesterol 'fuels' breast cancer

28 November 2013 Last updated at 22:54 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

A by-product of cholesterol can fuel the deadly growth and spread of breast cancer, according to a group of scientists.

It raises the prospect that taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins could prevent cancer.

The work, published in the journal Science, helps explain why obesity is a major risk factor for the disease.

However, cancer charities cautioned that it was too soon to advise women to take statins.

Obesity has been linked with many cancers including those of the breast, bowel and womb.

Continue reading the main story

The results from this early study are promising"

End Quote Dr Hannah Bridges Breakthrough Breast Cancer

The fat in overweight people can pump out hormones, such as oestrogen, which drive the growth of cancers.

A team at Duke University Medical Centre, in the US, showed that cholesterol was having a similar effect.

Cholesterol is broken down by the body into 27HC, which can mimic oestrogen and produce the same effect as the hormone in some tissues.

Experiments on mice showed that a high fat diet increased levels of 27HC in the blood and led to tumours that were 30% larger than in mice on a normal diet.

Tumours were also more likely to spread. And human breast cancer tissue grew more quickly in the laboratory when it was fed 27HC.

One of the researchers Prof Donald McDonnell said: "A lot of studies have shown a connection between obesity and breast cancer, and specifically that elevated cholesterol is associated with breast cancer risk, but no mechanism has been identified.

"What we have now found is a molecule - not cholesterol itself, but an abundant metabolite of cholesterol - called 27HC that mimics the hormone oestrogen and can independently drive the growth of breast cancer."

Treatment

The researchers say their findings raise the prospect that lowering cholesterol can lower the risk of breast cancer developing.

Statins are already taken by millions of people to cut the risk of heart disease. However, studies have already suggested statins can cut the risk of breast cancer.

A healthier diet is another way to cut levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Dr Hannah Bridges, from leading charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says: "Up until now research into the links between cholesterol levels, use of statins and breast cancer risk has been inconclusive.

"The results from this early study are promising and if confirmed through further research could increase our understanding of what causes some breast cancers to develop."

Dr Emma Smith, from Cancer Research UK, said: "This study is intriguing as it shows for the first time a direct link between cholesterol and breast cancer in mice - but it's too early to say how this knowledge might help tackle breast cancer in the future.

"As things stand, until we know more about the effects of statins on cancer risk, the best ways to cut the risk of developing breast cancer are to stay a healthy weight, cut down on alcohol and keep active."

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More hospitals checking Savile links

29 November 2013 Last updated at 11:35 ET

A further 19 hospitals are to carry out investigations after receiving police information about serial sex attacker Jimmy Savile, the government has said.

The Metropolitan Police have passed material about Savile to the Department of Health, which has given it to the 19 hospital trusts to investigate.

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he expected reports on visits by the late DJ to those hospitals by next June.

It brings the total number of hospitals under investigation to 32.

Savile is believed to have abused hundreds of victims.

The former BBC presenter of Top Of The Pops and Jim'll Fix It died aged 84 in October 2011 - a year before allegations that he had sexually abused children were broadcast in an ITV documentary.

The revelations prompted hundreds of victims to come forward, including those who said they were attacked at a number of institutions.

Inquiries into Savile's alleged abuse of patients at NHS hospitals had originally focused on Broadmoor and Stoke Mandeville and Leeds General Infirmary, with a further 10 trusts added in January.

'Further investigation'

The Met passed information on the 19 additional hospitals to the Department of Health after completing a "document review".

Scotland Yard said this did not mean its own investigation was over.

"Inquiries are ongoing, and we continue to work with the Department of Health. Inquiries into criminal offences are not concluded yet," the Met said.

Mr Hunt said the NHS trusts responsible for each of the 19 hospitals would investigate the information provided by the Met.

In a written statement, he said Kate Lampard - a former barrister asked to oversee the Department of Health's investigations into Savile - would ensure the inquiries were properly carried out.

"Names of the hospitals are taken from the information received," Mr Hunt added.

"These include hospitals that may have closed in which case the information has been passed on to the legacy organisation."

'Long time ago'

Mr Hunt said he expected final reports by June next year, with publication "sooner if that is possible".

Jessica Standley, a solicitor from a firm representing more than 70 of Savile's victims, said she was concerned about delays in the Department of Health's investigation.

She said victims gave their statements a "long time ago" and are "eagerly" awaiting the results of investigations.

"What is concerning me is that the Department of Health have taken until now to include those additional hospitals," she said.

The 19 hospitals extra to carry out investigations are Barnet General Hospital, Booth Hall Children's Hospital, De La Pole Hospital, Dryburn Hospital, Hammersmith Hospital, Leavesden Secure Mental Hospital, Marsden Hospital, Maudsley Hospital, North Manchester General Hospital, Odstock Hospital, Pinderfields Hospital, Prestwich Psychiatric Hospital, Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, Royal Free Hospital, London, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle, Seacroft Hospital, Leeds, St Mary's Hospital, Carshalton, Whitby Memorial Hospital and Wythenshawe Hospital.

The 13 hospitals already carrying out investigations are Leeds General Infirmary, Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Broadmoor Hospital, High Royds Psychiatric Hospital, Dewsbury Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Moss Side Hospital (previously part of Ashworth Hospital), Exeter Hospital, Portsmouth Hospital, St Catherine's Hospital Birkenhead, Cardiff Royal Infirmary, Rampton Hospital and Saxondale Hospital.

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HIV care 'at risk from NHS changes'

30 November 2013 Last updated at 19:02 ET

HIV care is at risk from the changes to the health service in England, specialists are warning.

As part of NHS reorganisation, sexual healthcare became the responsibility of local authorities, while HIV care remains within the NHS.

The British HIV Association says many specialists feel the split has worsened patient care, and worry the situation will deteriorate even further.

The government said the NHS and local authorities should work together.

A survey by BHIVA, released to mark World Aids Day, found a third of the 100 HIV specialists questioned thought care for people with HIV was poorer since the reorganisation in April this year.

And two-thirds thought care was set to deteriorate further.

In the past, HIV and genitourinary medicine (GUM) services were integrated, sharing staff and resources.

But the reorganisation transferred responsibilities for tackling public health issues such as obesity, smoking prevention and sexual health - but not HIV care - to local councils.

Around 100,000 people in the UK live with HIV.

'Threatened with closure'

Dr David Asboe, chair of BHIVA and a consultant in HIV medicine at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, said: "Key to the concerns uncovered in this survey are fears about the separation of HIV care from broader genitourinary medicine."

Continue reading the main story

The way the system has been created has made an artificial divide"

End Quote Dr Steve Taylor HIV specialist, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital

He added: "There are HIV services being threatened with closure without adequate care arrangements made for the people living with HIV attending these services."

Dr Janet Wilson, president of the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), said: "Sexual health clinicians have been sounding the warnings around restructuring since the introduction of the government's health reforms.

"We are already hearing about tendered GUM services being prevented from undertaking partner notification on people newly diagnosed as HIV-positive even though this is the most effective public health intervention for identifying undiagnosed HIV infection."

She added: "We need government, national and local agencies to urgently work together to prevent HIV and GUM care going backwards."

Dr Steve Taylor, lead consultant in HIV Services at Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, said there was an issue with staff who had worked for joint HIV and GUM services in the past moving to a new sexually transmitted infection centre and being lost to the HIV services: "The way the system has been created has made an artificial divide between classic GUM services and HIV.

Contact tracing

"There's not been recognition of the fact that these specialties are delivered by the same people."

And he suggested anything not in the GUM service contracts risked being lost or downgraded, such as contact tracing to find current and former partners, data collection and training.

Dr Taylor added: "It's about who is going to pick up the responsibility for all of those things that appear to be falling in the middle of what's being covered by NHS England and by local authorities."

A Department of Health spokesman said: "Public Health England's report on HIV care last year reported an increase in people being diagnosed and prompt integration into care.

"However, the NHS and local authorities should work together to make sure that sexual health services are convenient and work for patients."

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Cholesterol 'fuels' breast cancer

28 November 2013 Last updated at 22:54 ET By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

A by-product of cholesterol can fuel the deadly growth and spread of breast cancer, according to a group of scientists.

It raises the prospect that taking cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins could prevent cancer.

The work, published in the journal Science, helps explain why obesity is a major risk factor for the disease.

However, cancer charities cautioned that it was too soon to advise women to take statins.

Obesity has been linked with many cancers including those of the breast, bowel and womb.

Continue reading the main story

The results from this early study are promising"

End Quote Dr Hannah Bridges Breakthrough Breast Cancer

The fat in overweight people can pump out hormones, such as oestrogen, which drive the growth of cancers.

A team at Duke University Medical Centre, in the US, showed that cholesterol was having a similar effect.

Cholesterol is broken down by the body into 27HC, which can mimic oestrogen and produce the same effect as the hormone in some tissues.

Experiments on mice showed that a high fat diet increased levels of 27HC in the blood and led to tumours that were 30% larger than in mice on a normal diet.

Tumours were also more likely to spread. And human breast cancer tissue grew more quickly in the laboratory when it was fed 27HC.

One of the researchers Prof Donald McDonnell said: "A lot of studies have shown a connection between obesity and breast cancer, and specifically that elevated cholesterol is associated with breast cancer risk, but no mechanism has been identified.

"What we have now found is a molecule - not cholesterol itself, but an abundant metabolite of cholesterol - called 27HC that mimics the hormone oestrogen and can independently drive the growth of breast cancer."

Treatment

The researchers say their findings raise the prospect that lowering cholesterol can lower the risk of breast cancer developing.

Statins are already taken by millions of people to cut the risk of heart disease. However, studies have already suggested statins can cut the risk of breast cancer.

A healthier diet is another way to cut levels of cholesterol in the bloodstream.

Dr Hannah Bridges, from leading charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, says: "Up until now research into the links between cholesterol levels, use of statins and breast cancer risk has been inconclusive.

"The results from this early study are promising and if confirmed through further research could increase our understanding of what causes some breast cancers to develop."

Dr Emma Smith, from Cancer Research UK, said: "This study is intriguing as it shows for the first time a direct link between cholesterol and breast cancer in mice - but it's too early to say how this knowledge might help tackle breast cancer in the future.

"As things stand, until we know more about the effects of statins on cancer risk, the best ways to cut the risk of developing breast cancer are to stay a healthy weight, cut down on alcohol and keep active."

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