Three-person babies 'in two years'

3 June 2014 Last updated at 13:11 By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

Scientists will be ready to create babies from three people in around two years, if it is made legal, a review says.

The technique, using eggs from two women and one man's sperm, would be used to prevent deadly mitochondrial diseases.

The UK fertility regulator said there was no evidence that it would be unsafe, but called for extra checks.

Changes to fertility regulations are being considered by government.

The illnesses are caused by damage to the tiny power stations in every cell of the body called mitochondria.

One in every 6,500 babies are born with severe mitochondrial disease which means they have insufficient energy to function - it leads to muscle weakness, blindness, heart failure and even death.

Mitochondria are passed only from mother to child.

A scientific panel, assembled by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), assessed two advanced forms of IVF using material from three people - the parents to be and a woman with healthy mitochondria.

Continue reading the main story

Prof Robin Lovell-Badge, from the Medical Research Council and a member of the scientific panel, said: "The direction of travel still suggests that it is all safe, but we don't know what's round the corner so we're being a little cautious."

The HFEA report called for a series of final tests before either of the procedures could be performed.

This would include a more detailed assessment of the efficiency of both proposed techniques when using human eggs or embryos.

The risk to the child and any subsequent generations of mutated mitochondria being transferred during the procedure also need to be investigated in more detail.

"I think that [two years] is not a bad estimation. The other sorts of experiments that we thought were necessary, again it will take about two years to complete all of those."

Prof Andy Greenfield, who chaired the scientific review panel, said safety was "not a straightforward issue".

He added: "Are these techniques safe in humans? We won't know that until it's actually done in humans.

"Until a healthy baby is born we cannot say 100% that these techniques are safe, if you think back to when IVF was a new technology all of these questions were asked before IVF."

Mitochondria have their own tiny set of DNA, so any resulting children will have genetic material from three people.

The treatments would class as germ-line therapy, causing changes which would be passed down through the generations.

Ethical concerns have been raised and some campaign groups are worried it could be the thin end of the wedge to genetic modification of people.

'As soon as we can'

The UK government has in principle backed three-person babies. The chief medical officer, Prof Dame Sally Davies, said last year: "It's only right that we look to introduce this life-saving treatment as soon as we can."

This scientific review was commissioned by government as part of a wider consultation. The Department of Health will publish its response to the consultation in the coming months and says a firmer timescale for any regulatory changes will be revealed then.

A spokesperson said: "Mitochondrial donation will give women who carry severe mitochondrial disease the opportunity to have children without passing on devastating genetic disorders.

"It will also keep the UK at the forefront of scientific development in this area."

Sarah Norcross, the director of the Progress Educational Trust, said: "The scientific review committee have given a considered thumbs up to allowing techniques to avoid the transmission of inherited mitochondrial disease to be used in clinic.

"We therefore urge the Government to press ahead and pass regulations to allow families blighted by mitochondrial disease to benefit as soon as possible."

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Skin cancer trial results 'exciting'

3 June 2014 Last updated at 01:42

The results of two international trials against advanced skin cancer have been hailed as "exciting and striking".

Both treatments, for advanced melanoma, are designed to enable the immune system to recognise and target tumours.

The findings were released at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago.

The experimental drugs, pembrolizumab and nivolumab, block the biological pathway cancers use to disguise themselves from the immune system.

Advanced melanoma - skin cancer which has spread to other organs - has proved very hard to treat.

Until a few years ago average survival was around six months.

Improved survival

In a trial of 411 patients evaluating pembrolizumab - 69% of patients survived at least a year.

The drug, which used to be known as MK-3475, is also being tested against other tumour types which use the same mechanism to block attack from the immune system.

Dr David Chao, consultant oncologist at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, is conducting trials in both melanoma and lung cancer patients. He said:

"Pembrolizumab looks like it has potential to be a paradigm shift for cancer therapy."

One of his patients, Warwick Steele, aged 64, has been receiving infusions of pembrolizumab every three weeks since October.

Before the treatment started he could barely walk because the melanoma had spread to one of his lungs and he found it hard to breathe.

"I got tired simply standing up and was literally too exhausted to shave. But now I feel back to normal and can do gardening and go shopping".

Scans of his lungs - shown above - reveal that after just three infusions, the drug appears to have completely cleared the cancer from his lung.

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Warwick Steele says the treatment that cleared his lung of cancer has been a lifeline

Combination therapy

The other drug, nivolumab, was tested in combination with an existing licensed immunotherapy, ipilimumab.

In a trial of 53 patients, survival was 85% after one year, and 79% after two years.

John Wagstaff, Prof of medical oncology at Swansea College of Medicine is part of a larger trial of these two drugs.

He said: "I am convinced that this is a breakthrough in treating melanoma.

"The trial is still "blinded" so we don't know what treatments the patients are getting, but we have seen some spectacular responses."

Professor Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician, said: "It's exciting to see the range of new treatments that are emerging for people with advanced melanoma."

But doctors are urging caution. The results which have been published are of Phase I, early stage trials.

Much larger Phase III trials are underway involving many UK hospitals.

Only when they report, in about a year's time, can clinicians be sure what the likely benefits will be.

Like all drugs, the experimental treatments have side effects. Warwick Steele said he experienced night sweats and even had two brief blackouts when on the new drug.

But he said it was well worth it, and doctors were now treating these symptoms.

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'Godfather of ecstasy' dies aged 88

3 June 2014 Last updated at 13:51

The chemical scientist who reinvented the popular party drug ecstasy has died at the age of 88 from liver cancer.

Alexander Shulgin earned his nickname, the Godfather of ecstasy, after honing a way to make the drug - and testing it out on himself to check it had worked.

A Facebook post by his wife and research partner, Ann, said he died "surrounded by family and caretakers and Buddhist meditation music".

He lived out his final years at his home in Northern California.

'The Godfather'

Shulgin began his study of organic chemistry at Harvard University in his teens and, after a stint in the US Navy during World War Two, returned to Berkeley to get his PhD in biochemistry at the University of California.

In his early working career, he joined Dow Chemical Company and, while there, developed the world's first biodegradable pesticide.

But it was while he was pursuing his own research that he began experimenting with psychoactive compounds.

He tested out his new creations on himself, inviting small groups of friends to join him in the tasting sessions.

During the swinging '60s, he says he made and tested hundreds of concoctions.

In 1965, he parted company with Dow, but continued his studies and began teaching classes at local universities.

Ecstasy

Nearly a decade later, he came across a compound closely related to what we now call ecstasy or MDMA.

MDMA had been previously synthesised and patented in 1912 by the pharmaceutical company Merck, but was never fully explored within humans.

Shulgin decided to start human trials - again, starting with himself.

Once he had fine-tuned his recipe, he introduced the chemical to a psychologist from Oakland called Leo Zeff.

And Zeff introduced Shulgin to a lay therapist called Ann, who later became Shulgin's wife.

Zeff used small doses of the substance in his practice as an aid to talk therapy, and introduced it to hundreds of psychologists across the nation.

Clubbers have been known to use ecstasy so they can dance for hours. In some cases, people have died from taking ecstasy.

The drugs advice charity Frank says a big problem with ecstasy is that it's rarely pure.

"Regardless of what it looks like and what it is called, you can't be sure what's in a pill or a powder and you can't predict how you'll react," it advises.

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Smoking and cancer gene 'deadly mix'

1 June 2014 Last updated at 17:57 By James Gallagher Health and science reporter, BBC News

Smoking and the breast cancer risk gene BRCA2 combine to "enormously" increase the chance of developing lung cancer, a study of 27,000 people has suggested.

The research, published in the journal Nature, found the gene could double the likelihood of getting lung cancer.

And some men and women faced a far greater risk, a team at the Institute of Cancer Research in London said.

Cancer Research UK suggested drugs targeted at breast cancer may work in some lung cancers.

The links between variants of the BRCA genes and breast cancer are well established - a diagnosis led Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie to have a preventative double mastectomy - but it has also been linked with an increased risk of other cancers affecting women such as ovarian cancer and prostate cancer in men.

The study compared the genetic codes of people with and without lung cancer.

Smokers have 40 times the chance of developing lung cancer, but those with a BRCA2 mutation were nearly 80 times more likely, the analysis showed.

A quarter of those carrying the mutation, and who also smoke, will go on to develop lung cancer, the research team said.

"It is a massive increase in the risk of developing lung cancer," said Prof Richard Houlston from the team.

"There is a subset of the population who are at very significant risk.

"The most important thing is reducing smoking; it is so bad for other diseases, as well as [increasing] the risk of lung cancer."

Mutations to the BRCA genes stop DNA from repairing itself effectively.

"In the context of smoking there is such an enormous amount of DNA damage that any loss of DNA repair is going to be an issue," Prof Houlston added.

The discovery could mean treatments that are being developed for breast cancer may also work in some cases of lung cancer.

"We've known for two decades that inherited mutations in BRCA2 made people more likely to develop breast and ovarian cancer, but these new findings show a greater risk of lung cancer too, especially for people who smoke," said Prof Peter Johnson, Cancer Research UK's chief clinician.

"Importantly this research suggests that treatments designed for breast and ovarian cancer may also be effective in lung cancer, where we urgently need new drugs.

"But, with or without one of these genetic flaws, the single most effective way to reduce the risk of lung cancer is to be a non-smoker."

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Being bilingual 'slows brain ageing'

2 June 2014 Last updated at 05:08

Learning a second language can have a positive effect on the brain, even if it is taken up in adulthood, a University of Edinburgh study suggests.

Researchers found that reading, verbal fluency and intelligence were improved in a study of 262 people tested either aged 11 or in their seventies.

A previous study suggested that being bilingual could delay the onset of dementia by several years.

The study is published in Annals of Neurology.

The big question in this study was whether learning a new language improved cognitive functions or whether individuals with better cognitive abilities were more likely to become bilingual.

Dr Thomas Bak, from the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, said he believed he had found the answer.

Continue reading the main story

Millions of people around the world acquire their second language later in life. Our study shows that bilingualism, even when acquired in adulthood, may benefit the ageing brain"

End Quote Dr Thomas Bak University of Edinburgh

Using data from intelligence tests on 262 Edinburgh-born individuals at the age of 11, the study looked at how their cognitive abilities had changed when they were tested again in their seventies.

The research was conducted between 2008 and 2010.

All participants said they were able to communicate in at least one language other than English.

Of that group, 195 learned the second language before the age of 18, and 65 learned it after that time.

Strong effects

The findings indicate that those who spoke two or more languages had significantly better cognitive abilities compared to what would have been expected from their baseline test.

The strongest effects were seen in general intelligence and reading.

The effects were present in those who learned their second language early, as well as later in life.

Dr Bak said the pattern they found was "meaningful" and the improvements in attention, focus and fluency could not be explained by original intelligence.

"These findings are of considerable practical relevance. Millions of people around the world acquire their second language later in life. Our study shows that bilingualism, even when acquired in adulthood, may benefit the aging brain."

But he admitted that the study also raised many questions, such as whether learning more than one language could also have the same positive effect on cognitive ageing and whether actively speaking a second language is better than just knowing how to speak it.

Dr. Alvaro Pascual-Leone, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, US, said: "The epidemiological study provides an important first step in understanding the impact of learning a second language and the ageing brain.

"This research paves the way for future causal studies of bilingualism and cognitive decline prevention."

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Mental health beds 'crisis' warning

2 June 2014 Last updated at 05:12 By Michael Buchanan Social Affairs Correspondent, BBC News

Pressure on mental health beds is so severe that some patients are having to be sectioned to secure necessary care, a survey of junior doctors suggests.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists questioned 576 trainees working in psychiatry across the UK.

The college said its findings suggested mental health services were approaching a "tipping point" and that the situation was "simply unacceptable".

Ministers said inpatient beds should be available for those who needed them.

The survey also suggests that critically unwell patients are being sent home because no bed can be found for them.

Children moved

Investigations in recent months by BBC News and the online journal Community Care have highlighted that more than 1,700 mental health beds have been cut and that patients are travelling huge distances to access care.

Sectioning someone under the Mental Health Act - denying them their liberty - should only be done when a person is a risk either to themselves or others.

But this survey of trainee doctors adds to concerns that mental health patients are being failed by the NHS.

The key findings include:

Continue reading the main story

Decisions about detention must always be taken in the best interests of patients at risk of harming themselves or others"

End Quote Norman Lamb Health minister

• Some 18% said their decision to detain a patient under the Mental Health Act (section someone) had been influenced by the fact that doing so might make the provision of a bed more likely; 37% said a colleague's decision had been similarly influenced
• One-in-four said a bed manager had told them that unless their patient had been sectioned they would not get a bed
• Almost 30% have sent a critically-ill patient home because no bed could be found
• A third had seen a patient admitted to a ward without a bed
• And 22% had been forced to send a child more than 200 miles from their families for treatment

Doctors also reported sending adult patients long distances to access care and admitting people into a bed belonging to another patient who had been sent home for a period of trial leave.

'Very alarming'

One young psychiatrist, who did not want to be named, told BBC News that a patient had died as a result of not being able to secure a bed locally.

"The patient presented to us, they needed to be admitted, we couldn't admit them locally, they were admitted to a hospital hundreds of miles away.

"The care they received was not what we'd have done and they died."

The findings have been condemned by the college.

Dr Howard Ryland, who oversees its psychiatric training described them as "very alarming".

"People are beginning to recognise that there is a real crisis in mental health," he added.

"This survey shows a picture of the very severe pressure that frontline staff are under in terms of securing the care that people need.

"The NHS doesn't have the resources to cope with the ever increasing demand. The system doesn't have the services to provide everyone with the care they need."

'Vulnerable'

His comments were supported by the Prof Bailey, president of the college, who said: "This survey provides further evidence that mental health services are approaching a tipping point.

"Continued cuts to services can only result in further distress and discomfort for patients, many of whom are young, vulnerable, some of whom are forced to receive care far from home. This situation is simply not acceptable."

The mental health charity SANE called the situation a scandal.

Labour's Shadow Health Minister Luciana Berger urged the government to take responsibility and "get to grips with this unacceptable failure before more lives are put at risk."

In a statement, care minister Norman Lamb said: "It is not acceptable to detain someone under the Mental Health Act purely because they need an inpatient bed.

"Decisions about detention must always be taken in the best interests of patients at risk of harming themselves or others.

"Inpatient beds must always be available for those who need them. We are scrutinising local NHS plans to make sure they put mental health on a par with physical health."

Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? You can send us your comments by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk using the subject line "Mental health".

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Cancer waiting time targets slip

30 May 2014 Last updated at 18:03

A key government target for treating people diagnosed with suspected cancer has been breached for the first time since it was introduced in 2009.

NHS England guidelines say that 85% of patients should wait a maximum of 62 days to begin their first treatment following referral from their GP.

But figures show this slipped to 84.4% from January to March this year.

Charities Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support both said it was a worrying sign.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The UK already has some of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe. "

End Quote Mike Hobday Macmillan Cancer Support

The target for treating people diagnosed with cancer within 62 days fell from 85.8% during the previous quarter to 84.4% in the first three months of 2014.

Mike Hobday, director of policy and research at Macmillan Cancer Support, said the number of trusts missing this target had doubled over the last year.

"This is a clear warning sign that the NHS is under huge strain.

"The UK already has some of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe.

"More patients are now facing delays, which means more patients are facing anxiety for longer and more lives are being put at risk.

"We're very worried that the coordination of cancer care is getting worse and that cancer is being overlooked in the new NHS."

He said cancer patients were set to increase from two million to three million by 2020.

Sarah Woolnough, executive director of policy and information at Cancer Research UK, said some patients were being failed.

"The breach of the '62 day target' is very concerning, particularly as four in 10 of those who aren't treated within two months are having to wait three months or more.

"These targets exist to encourage swift diagnosis of cancer and access to treatment, which is vital to improve survival rates.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

There is variation in meeting the challenging standards, and national performance against one of the targets has dipped"

End Quote Sean Duffy NHS England

"Patients want confidence that suspected cancer is taken seriously and prioritised by the NHS. We hope urgent action will be taken to ensure this breach is a one off."

Performance dip

Sean Duffy, national clinical director for cancer for NHS England, said work must be done to make sure standards are met.

"It is vital cancer patients are diagnosed and treated quickly so they have the best possible chance of recovery," he said.

"Latest figures show nationally the NHS has met and exceeded seven out of eight cancer waiting time standards. But there is variation in meeting the challenging standards, and national performance against one of the targets has dipped."

He said clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were working with local providers in areas where the standard is not being met to ensure patients are treated quickly.

Other figures released by NHS England on cancer waiting times showed the number of people seen by a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer also dropped from 95.6% to 95%.

For people urgently referred for breast symptoms, where cancer is not suspected, 93.9% are being seen within two weeks, compared to 95.5% previously. The target is 93%.

In total, 60,425 patients with breast symptoms where cancer was not initially suspected were seen in the first three months of this year after being urgently referred.

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New NHS boss backs smaller hospitals

30 May 2014 Last updated at 22:52

Smaller community hospitals should play a bigger role especially in the care of older patients, the new head of the NHS in England has said.

In an interview in the Daily Telegraph, Simon Stevens signalled a marked change in policy by calling for a shift away from big centralised hospitals.

The health service chief executive said there needed to be new models of care built around smaller local hospitals.

The NHS said he was not suggesting the return of 50s-style cottage hospitals.

In recent years the health service has emphasised the benefits of centralised services.

This has paid dividends in areas such as stroke care and major trauma where significant benefits have been gained by concentrating specialist care.

But this has raised questions about the future of the many smaller district general hospitals across the NHS.

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In the interview in Friday's paper, Mr Stevens said they should play an important part in providing care, especially for the growing number of older patents who could be treated closer to home.

He said: "A number of other countries have found it possible to run viable local hospitals serving smaller communities than sometimes we think are sustainable in the NHS.

"Most of western Europe has hospitals which are able to serve their local communities, without everything having to be centralised."

Hospital closures

Simon Stevens' support for smaller hospitals comes as, in some parts of England, such hospitals close.

On Tuesday the closure of Ashby District Hospital in Leicestershire was announced.

A commissioning group said the 16-bed hospital needed £900,000 of repairs and was underused, and said it wanted to provide "more services closer to people's homes".

Earlier this month a health trust said Poltair Hospital in Cornwall would close, saying the "cost of backlog maintenance work to meet current standards is too expensive".

But West Cornwall Health Watch said the decision was based on "dangerously unproven assumptions" and West Cornwall MP Andrew George called it a "backward step".

Lowestoft Hospital in Suffolk closed its 25-bed inpatient facility at the end of March and the main hospital building is due to close later this year.

The hospital's north wing is to be redeveloped to offer services including phlebotomy and outpatient clinics.

But Lowestoft Coalition Against the Cuts said many elderly people would suffer owing to the closure of such "excellent local hospitals".

Mr Stevens said elderly patients were increasingly ending up in hospital unnecessarily because they had not been given care which could have kept them at home.

Mr Stevens also told the Telegraph:

• The NHS needed to abandon a fixation with "mass centralisation" and instead invest in community services to care for the elderly
• Waiting targets introduced by Labour became "an impediment to care" in too many cases
• The European Working Time Directive damaged health care in the NHS, making it harder to keep small hospitals open
• Businesses should financially reward employees for losing weight and adopting healthy lifestyles

An NHS England source said Mr Stevens was saying that smaller hospitals had a part to play in shifting services into the community, not that there would be no closures of local hospitals in the future.

Helen Tucker, vice president of the Community Hospitals Association, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme Mr Stevens' comments were "great news", sending a "good, strong message that small is beautiful".

A "balance is needed" with centralised specialist hospitals, she said, but smaller institutions were "the hospitals that local communities really value," she said.

Mr Stevens, a former adviser on health to Tony Blair, will outline his vision for the NHS in a major speech at the NHS Confederation conference in Liverpool on Wednesday.

Analysis

By Dominic Hughes, BBC health correspondent

In recent years the health service in England has emphasised the benefits of centralised services.

So those suffering from a stroke or a heart attack might be taken to a specialist centre rather than the local hospital.

But with only limited resources, the future of smaller district general and community hospitals has been less clear.

Now Simon Stevens, the new chief executive of the NHS in England, says they should play an important part in providing care - especially for older patents who could be treated closer to home.

That might mean they take over GP services or community care.

But what he is not calling for is a return to 1950s-style cottage hospitals nor is he saying that no hospitals will close.

It is more subtle - that the debate in the NHS has focused too much on centralisation and there is still a place for smaller local hospitals.

Chris Ham, the chief executive of the King's Fund think tank, told the BBC the plans could lead to "much more joined up, coordinated care that many older people need".

He added: "We know much of the demand for hospital care these days is for routine acute care for growing numbers of older people.

Continue reading the main story

We know much of the demand for hospital care these days is for routine acute care for growing numbers of older people"

End Quote Chris Ham King's Fund

"What they want is a really good, local, accessible hospital, there for them when they need it.

"This message is quite right, it will be welcomed by many people."

'Recalibrating'

Ruthe Isden, from charity Age UK, said Mr Stevens' comments were "very welcome to us" and she looked forward to hearing more details in his speech next week.

Speaking to BBC News, she said his views signalled a change in tone in the way the NHS is moving.

"In recent years, there has been a lot of thinking about specialist care but we also need to think about wrap-around, community care.

"This is a recalibrating of the way we think about these issues."

She added: "We need to invest in services which look at the holistic needs of the elderly. Things like social care, making sure they don't get lonely and that they are given opportunities to exercise.

"It's a case of not just seeing medical care as the answer to everything."

Katherine Murphy, the chief executive of the Patients Association, said: "For older patients in particular, the prospect of having to travel great distances to get to hospital can be daunting and inconvenient.

"Elderly people need to be treated close to home, with an emphasis on compassion, privacy, dignity and respect.

"In addition, there is a need to have a workforce in place that is trained to look after older people."

Mr Stevens took up the post of chief executive of the NHS in England after 11 years working for private health care firms in Europe, the US and South America.

The Scottish government said it was working to improve "intermediate care" as a "bridge between hospital and home".

Northern Ireland health minister Edwin Poots commissioned a review which said services should be provided "in the community, closer to people's homes where possible".

He said "significant progress" was now being made.

A spokesman for the Welsh government said it was "good to see England following Wales' lead on this issue".

Changes to the NHS in Wales were introduced in 2009 to "provide more care closer to people's homes".

"We have long recognised the important role of a community care-led NHS, which is integrated with social care, in delivering care to patients closer to their homes," the spokesman added.

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Babies can learn to love vegetables

31 May 2014 Last updated at 00:00

Children can learn to eat new vegetables if they are introduced regularly before the age of two, suggests a University of Leeds study.

Even fussy eaters can be encouraged to eat more greens if they are offered them five to 10 times, it found.

The research team gave artichoke puree to 332 children aged between four and 38 months from the UK, France and Denmark.

One in five cleared their plates while 40% learned to like artichoke.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

After 24 months children become reluctant to try new things and start to reject foods"

End Quote Prof Marion Hetherington University of Leeds

The study also dispelled the popular myth that vegetable tastes need to be masked in order for children to eat them.

During the study, each child was given between five and 10 servings of at least 100g of artichoke puree.

The puree was either served straight, or sweetened with added sugar, or vegetable oil was mixed into the puree to add energy.

The researchers found there was little difference in the amount eaten over time between those who were fed the basic puree and those who had the sweetened one, suggesting that making vegetables sweeter does not encourage children to eat more.

Overall, they did find that younger children ate more artichoke than older children in the study.

Prof Marion Hetherington, study author from the Institute of Psychological Sciences at Leeds, said this was because children become picky and wary at a certain age.

"If they are under two they will eat new vegetables because they tend to be willing and open to new experiences.

"After 24 months, children become reluctant to try new things and start to reject foods - even those they previously liked."

Most children in the study were found to be "learners" (40%), who ate more artichoke over time.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

If you want to encourage your children to eat vegetables, make sure you start early and often"

End Quote Prof Hetherington

Twenty-one per cent consumed more than three-quarters of their serving each time and were labelled "plate-clearers".

"Non-eaters" made up 16% of the children because they ate less than 10g even when it was offered for a fifth time, while the rest did not conform to any one group.

Prof Hetherington said her research, which is published in the journal PLOS ONE and funded by the EU, offered some valuable guidance to parents who want to encourage healthy diets in their children.

"If you want to encourage your children to eat vegetables, make sure you start early and often.

"Even if your child is fussy or does not like veggies, our study shows that five to 10 exposures will do the trick."

Globe artichoke was chosen as the vegetable in the study because parents said it was one of the vegetables they were least likely to cook.

NHS guidelines are to start weaning children on to solid foods at six months.

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Cancer waiting time targets slip

30 May 2014 Last updated at 18:03

A key government target for treating people diagnosed with suspected cancer has been breached for the first time since it was introduced in 2009.

NHS England guidelines say that 85% of patients should wait a maximum of 62 days to begin their first treatment following referral from their GP.

But figures show this slipped to 84.4% from January to March this year.

Charities Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support both said it was a worrying sign.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

The UK already has some of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe. "

End Quote Mike Hobday Macmillan Cancer Support

The target for treating people diagnosed with cancer within 62 days fell from 85.8% during the previous quarter to 84.4% in the first three months of 2014.

Mike Hobday, director of policy and research at Macmillan Cancer Support, said the number of trusts missing this target had doubled over the last year.

"This is a clear warning sign that the NHS is under huge strain.

"The UK already has some of the worst cancer survival rates in Europe.

"More patients are now facing delays, which means more patients are facing anxiety for longer and more lives are being put at risk.

"We're very worried that the coordination of cancer care is getting worse and that cancer is being overlooked in the new NHS."

He said cancer patients were set to increase from two million to three million by 2020.

Sarah Woolnough, executive director of policy and information at Cancer Research UK, said some patients were being failed.

"The breach of the '62 day target' is very concerning, particularly as four in 10 of those who aren't treated within two months are having to wait three months or more.

"These targets exist to encourage swift diagnosis of cancer and access to treatment, which is vital to improve survival rates.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

There is variation in meeting the challenging standards, and national performance against one of the targets has dipped"

End Quote Sean Duffy NHS England

"Patients want confidence that suspected cancer is taken seriously and prioritised by the NHS. We hope urgent action will be taken to ensure this breach is a one off."

Performance dip

Sean Duffy, national clinical director for cancer for NHS England, said work must be done to make sure standards are met.

"It is vital cancer patients are diagnosed and treated quickly so they have the best possible chance of recovery," he said.

"Latest figures show nationally the NHS has met and exceeded seven out of eight cancer waiting time standards. But there is variation in meeting the challenging standards, and national performance against one of the targets has dipped."

He said clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) were working with local providers in areas where the standard is not being met to ensure patients are treated quickly.

Other figures released by NHS England on cancer waiting times showed the number of people seen by a specialist within two weeks of an urgent GP referral for suspected cancer also dropped from 95.6% to 95%.

For people urgently referred for breast symptoms, where cancer is not suspected, 93.9% are being seen within two weeks, compared to 95.5% previously. The target is 93%.

In total, 60,425 patients with breast symptoms where cancer was not initially suspected were seen in the first three months of this year after being urgently referred.

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