Heart disease risk and depression: a new study explores whether the two may be linked: Inside Creative House/Shutterstock For generations, people have been fascinated by the links between mind and body. For example, do people really die of a broken heart? Does a healthy mind indicate a healthy body? Scientists have been studying the associations …
Local knowledge adds value to mapping flood risk in South Africa’s informal settlements: A man is seen searching through debris at the Blue Lagoon beach following heavy rains and winds in Durban, on April 12, 2022. Rajesh Jantilal/AFP via Getty Images The current flooding in South Africa’s coastal city of Durban is dire and reports …
Avocados may cut the risk of heart disease: Krasula/Shutterstock Eating two or more servings of avocado a week may cut your risk of cardiovascular disease by 16%, according to a new study. Researchers at Harvard University analysed data from two large US studies: the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study. Between 1986 …
The hijab is not a symbol of gender oppression – but those who choose to wear it risk Islamophobia: Covering is a matter of personal choice, faith and, for many women, freedom. Jacob Lund | Shutterstock In a recent New York Times podcast on the alleged “Trojan Horse” Islamisation of schools in Birmingham, England, a …
Sweeteners may be linked to increased cancer risk – new research: The sweetener aspartame is found is many common foods and drinks, such as diet sodas. Kmpzzz/ Shutterstock Sweeteners have long been suggested to be bad for our health. Studies have linked consuming too many sweeteners with conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and …
Early pregnancy can put young women’s mental health at risk: a review of African evidence: Donwilson Odhiambo/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The rates of adolescent pregnancies in sub-Saharan Africa are among the world’s highest. The adolescent birth rate is as high as 139 per 1,000 girls in Tanzania and 96 per 1,000 in Kenya. This …
COVID: risk of severe disease could be in your blood, new research finds: MarySan/Shutterstock Multiple factors play a role in complex diseases like COVID, and knowing what they are is important for predicting how different people will be affected. Early on in the pandemic, being older, overweight or smoking were identified as increasing your risk …
Just 30-90 minutes of resistance training weekly decreases risk of premature death – new research: It's important to do resistance training alongside other types of exercise. Leszek Glasner/ Shutterstock There’s long been evidence that moderate aerobic exercise (think walking, running, or cycling) are good for your lifelong health and well-being. Research even shows us more …
Ukraine: what anti-war protesters in Russia risk by speaking out: Since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, mass anti-war protest action has erupted in more than 50 Russian cities. Footage of protesters shows almost immediate arrests by Russian anti-riot police. So far over 5,800 people have been detained since the invasion began, according to a protest …
Millions of UK homes are at risk of flooding – here’s how to protect yourself if you live in one of them: About 5 million properties are at risk of flooding in England alone. The impacts can be huge: storms Ciara and Dennis in 2020 cost £360 million in insurance payouts, while the recent Storm …
Vegetarian, pescatarian or low meat diets may reduce cancer risk – new research: Vegetarians had a 14% lower risk of developing all types of cancer compared to people who regularly eat meat. Dejan Dundjerski/ Shutterstock A growing number of people are choosing to eat less meat. There are many reasons people may choose to make …
Rethinking risk can unshackle Africa’s small scale farmers from the grip of poor weather: A woman checks maize crop on a small scale farm in Chinhamora, about 50 km north of Harare. ALEXANDER JOE/AFP via Getty Images Right now, countries in the Horn of Africa are in the midst of a multi-season drought. There have …
COVID vaccines may be getting worse at stopping new variants emerging – but they’re still lowering the risk: The rise of the omicron variant has caused havoc around the world, just as the emergence of the delta and alpha variants did before. A pattern has emerged, with the world scrambling to respond to a new …
Genetics helps estimate the risk of disease – but how much does it really tell us?: Makakaden/Shutterstock Genetics research has made momentous strides in the 21st century. At the start of the century, we had a broad understanding that most medical problems in the developed world are partly genetically determined but lacked the technology to …
Cannabis: increased schizophrenia risk in young people linked to both low and high use: Previous research suggested it was only high frequency use that was linked with schizophrenia. fotoNino/ Shutterstock An estimated 200 million people use cannabis across the world. Next to alcohol and tobacco, it’s the most widely used drug in many countries. But …
Bird flu: domestic chicken keepers could be putting themselves – and others – at risk: Backyard chicken-keeping has seen an increase in popularity in the last decade. BearFotos/ Shutterstock Bird flu cases have been on the rise recently, with reports of outbreaks in the UK, China, mainland Europe and Israel. Outbreaks typically happen in commercial …
COVID misinformation is a health risk – tech companies need to remove harmful content not tweak their algorithms: file404/Shutterstock Many worldwide have now caught COVID. But during the pandemic many more are likely to have encountered something else that’s been spreading virally: misinformation. False information has plagued the COVID response, erroneously convincing people that the …
What Nigerian cities can do to cope better with flood risk: Flooding remains a challenge in some Nigerian cities. Sodiq Adelakun/AFP via Getty Images Flooding is one of the most prevalent and devastating disasters in Nigerian cities. It happens every year in many states of Nigeria. And it has significant social and economic impacts. In …