Women who drank anywhere from a few alcoholic drinks a month to more than three a week in the year leading up to a heart attack ended up living longer than women who never drank alcohol, according to a US study. The findings, which focused on more than 1,000 women and were published in the American Journal of Cardiology, add to mounting evidence that alcohol, regardless of the type of drink, can be good for the heart. "One thing that was interesting … full story

Walnuts, the brain shaped nuts, cut down cholesterol and may also help fight stress and reduce blood pressure. Those with high levels of bad cholesterol had lower blood pressure during stressful moments after following a diet rich in walnuts for three weeks. Study participants were told to deliver a three-minute speech or sink one foot in cold water – both of which trigger stress. Those who ate walnuts had lower blood pressure, said Professor … full story

Those who say they cannot quit smoking, no matter how hard they try, could now blame their genes. Scientists have discovered a brain pathway which, if not functioning correctly, can lead to an uncontrollable desire to smoke, reports dailymail.co.uk. The fault lies in a receptor protein that is normally activated by the nicotine in cigarettes and dampens the desire for yet more of the drug. The team found that when rats were genetically changed … full story

Scientists have found a new way to deliver Alzheimer’s drugs directly to the brain, potentially opening the way to a more effective treatment for sufferers. Efforts to treat the disease have been hamstrung over 50 years by the difficulty of administering drugs to the brain to slow or halt its progression. But University of Oxford researchers switched off a gene linked to Alzheimer’s in mice brains by relying on tiny particles naturally released … full story

Obesity comes with plenty of health risks but there’s one that’s perhaps not so well known — increased risk of developing liver cancer. Now, a team of researchers have confirmed in mice that obesity does act as a “bonafide tumour promoter”, and they have backed it up with real evidence. “Doctors always worry about our weight, but the focus is often on cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, both of which can be managed pretty well with existing … full story

Like a spotlight that illuminates an otherwise dark scene, attention highlights specific details of our surroundings while shutting others out. A new study by Salk Institute for Biological Studies researchers shows that the superior colliculus, a brain structure known for its role in the control of eye and head movements, is crucial for moving the mind’s spotlight. Their findings add new insight to our understanding of how attention is controlled … full story

The recommendation to drink six to eight glasses of water daily to prevent dehydration is a “thoroughly debunked nonsense”, says an expert. There is currently no clear evidence of benefit from drinking increased amounts of water, according to Margaret McCartney, medical expert with the National Health Service (NHS), yet the “we-don’t-drink-enough-water” myth has endless advocates. The NHS Choices website states: “Try to drink about six to eight … full story

More than one in 10 parents use an "alternative" vaccination schedule for their young children, including refusing vaccines altogether, according to a US survey. Based on the findings, researchers worry that more parents may be refusing vaccines in the future, raising the risk that diseases like measles and whooping cough will spread in schools and communities. "The vaccines that we recommend have been so effective in largely eliminating the vaccine-preventable … full story

A sweet tooth isn't necessarily bad for your health - at least not when it comes to chocolate, hints a new study. Researchers studying more than 33,000 Swedish women found that the more chocolate women said they ate, the lower their risk of stroke. The results add to a growing body of evidence linking cocoa consumption to heart health, but they aren't a free pass to gorge on chocolate. full story

Cancer is a man-made disease triggered by the excesses of modern life, says a new study. Tumours were rare until recent times when pollution and poor diet became issues, the review of mummies, fossils and classical literature has found. Despite slivers of tissue from hundreds of Egyptian mummies being rehydrated, just one case of cancer has been confirmed, reports the journal Nature Reviews Cancer. And references to cancer-like problems in ancient … full story