Behind the Headlines

Your guide to the science that makes the news

Majority of supermarket chickens carry food bug

Friday Nov 28 2014

“More than 70% of fresh chickens being sold in the UK are contaminated,” BBC News reports. A Food Standards Agency investigation found worryingly high levels of contamination with the campylobacter bug, which can cause food poisoning…

Ten point plan to tackle liver disease published

Thursday Nov 27 2014

"Doctors call for tougher laws on alcohol abuse to tackle liver disease crisis," The Guardian reports. But this is just one of 10 recommendations for tackling the burden of liver disease published in a special report in The Lancet…

No proof 5:2 diet prevents cancer

Tuesday Nov 25 2014

"Could 5:2 diet help to ward off cancer?" is the question posed by the Mail Online after the publication of a study into experimental diets. An honest and accurate answer to the question, based on the study, would be "we don't know"…

Can a yoghurt a day reduce diabetes risk?

Tuesday Nov 25 2014

A yoghurt a day may reduce diabetes risk

"Eating a small portion of yoghurt every day may reduce diabetes risk," The Independent reports. This news comes from a US study that assessed the eating habits of more than 100,000 people and then followed them up every four years, looking...

Vegetarian diet 'could have slight benefits in diabetes'

Monday Nov 24 2014

Vegetarian diet 'beneficial for diabetics'

"Vegetable diet will beat diabetes: Meat-free lifestyle cures killer disease," is the typically overblown headline in the Daily Express. But researchers actually found a vegetarian diet led to a quite modest fall in only one measure of blood glucose…

'Food environment' needs changing, doctors argue

Monday Nov 17 2014

Mediterranean diet 'best way' to treat obesity

"A Mediterranean diet may be a better way of tackling obesity than calorie counting, leading doctors have said," BBC News reports. In a recently published editorial, they also argue the NHS should do more to encourage its staff to eat more healthily…

Milk may be linked to bone fractures and early death

Wednesday Oct 29 2014

$Milk linked to bone fractures and early death$

"Drinking more than three glasses of milk a day may not protect bones against breaking – and may even lead to higher rates of death," the Mail Online reports. Do not be alarmed – your milkman is no Hallowe'en death-bringer…

A mug of cocoa is not a cure for memory problems

Monday Oct 27 2014

Could cocoa boost memory in older people?

"Cup of cocoa could give the elderly the memory of a 'typical 30 or 40-year-old'," The Independent reports. Before you race down to the supermarket to pick up a tub of chocolatey powder, you might want to pause...

'Shift workers should avoid steak' claim mistaken

Thursday Oct 23 2014

Nightshift workers told to avoid iron-rich foods

"Shift workers should avoid tucking into steak, brown rice or green veg at night," because these foods "disrupt the body clock," the Mail Online reports. But the research in question involved lab mice…

Exercise data signs could cut sugary drink intake

Friday Oct 17 2014

Exercise data signs help cut sugary drink intake

"Signs warning shoppers how much exercise they need to do to burn off calories in sugary drinks can encourage healthier choices," BBC News reports. Signs in shops in an area of Baltimore led to a change in shopping habits amongst teenagers…