Health

The Honest Coca-Cola Obesity Commercial and 5 Darkest Coca-Cola Secrets:

24/01/19 - NHS will roll out electronic prescribing to curb 'global health emergency' of antibiotic resistance Medics will be ordered to cut use of antibiotics by 15 per cent by using electronic prescribing.Health chiefs have drawn up the plans amid warnings that antibiotic resistance now poses as great a threat as climate change.Matt Hancock will on Thursday tell the World Economic Forum in Davos that “we are on the cusp of a world where a simple graze could be deadly”.Calling for it to be treated as a “global health emergency” he set out targets to cut use of the drugs across the country by 15 per cent within six years.Simon Stevens, head of the NHS, said much of the change would be achieved by the rollout electronic prescribing across the health service.The software means doctors are alerted to the most appropriate drugs for any condition, sparing them for when they are most needed. It also means health officials can detect areas that are doling out the most antibiotics – and put pressure on medics to cut down.

15/10/18 - Cannabis health products are everywhere – but do they live up to the hype? Cannabidiol, or CBD, is now available in the UK in everything from skin creams to beers. But don’t set your hopes too high.

20/06/18 - London’s growing pollution problem Congestion in our cities continues to increase, causing significant problems for our travel plans every day.  However, while we get frustrated with the inevitable delays, there is another issue that isn’t as obvious as missing a meeting or getting home late – pollution. Exhaust fumes are a significant source of pollution and poor air quality. According to recent research carried out by the London Atmospheric Emissions Inventory, every part of the capital exceeds acceptable global pollution levels of PM2.5 – a highly toxic air particle known to worsen heart and lung function. Thousands of Londoners die early every year as a result.

10/04/18 - RADIO: The Second Genome (3 x 28 mins) Are we on the cusp of a new approach to healthy living and treating disease? BBC Health and Science correspondent James Gallagher explores the latest research into how our second genome, the vast and diverse array of microbes that live on and in our bodies, is driving our metabolism and our health.

30/01/18 - RADIO: In Their Element: Awesome Iodine (28 mins) The phrase 'essential 'element' is often incorrectly used to describe the nutrients we need, but can aptly be applied to iodine - without it we would suffer severe developmental problems. Iodine is a key component of thyroid hormones, responsible for the regulation of our metabolism. And yet most of us have no idea how much we need, nor where it comes from. In her research, Margaret Rayman, Professor of Nutritional Medicine at Surrey University, has found pregnant women in particular are at risk of iodine deficiency - and there's a lack of iodine in what many consider healthy diets. As well as looking at contemporary issues with iodine, Margaret explores the legacy of past iodine deficiency - the word cretin, was coined to describe someone living in the Alps with such a condition. We learn why you might find iodine in British milk - but not necessarily elsewhere in the world, and we discuss the consequences of exposure to radioactive iodine isotopes - both good and bad.

26/10/17 - RADIO: The Briefing Room: A world without antibiotics? (28 mins) Are we heading for a world without antibiotics? Drug resistant infections cause 700,000 deaths a year and it's estimated that could rise to 10 million by 2050 unless major action is taken. David Aaronovitch asks experts how an antibiotic crisis can be averted. Guests include Clare Wilson, medical reporter with The New Scientist; Laura Piddock, Professor of Microbiology at Birmingham University and Jeremy Knox, Head of Policy on drug-resistant infections at health charity the Wellcome Trust.

19/05/17 - Grass-Fed’s Many Health Benefits Grass fed meat, dairy, and eggs are something Richard C Young of Kite's Nest Farm has advocated for some time. Explaining the importance of eating only grass fed to finish beef, and the revolution of grass fed cattle raising, and 179 reasons to eat grass fed beef. The evidence on EatWild.com suggests grass-fed to finish beef is truly healthier for you than corn finished.

04/05/17 - The Gut Reaction - Giulia Enders Ever wonder how we poop? Learn about the gut -- the system where digestion (and a whole lot more) happens -- as doctor and author Giulia Enders takes us inside the complex, fascinating science behind it, including its connection to mental health. It turns out, looking closer at something we might shy away from can leave us feeling more fearless and appreciative of ourselves.

18/04/17 - RADIO: The Life Scientific: Liz Sockett on friendly killer bacteria (28 mins) Professor Liz Sockett studies an extraordinary group of predatory bacteria. Bdellovibrio may be small but they kill other bacteria with ingenious and ruthless efficiency. Liz has devoted the last fifteen years of her career as a microbiologist to work out how this microscopic killer invades and consumes its victims - victims which include a host of disease-causing bacteria which have also acquired resistance to antibiotics which once killed them. As well as studying the numerous tricks and weapons which Bdellovibrio have evolved to despatch and feed on other bugs, Prof Sockett's lab at the University of Nottingham is also testing the bacteria's potential as a new kind of treatment in the era of antibiotic resistance. Deadly infections may not be able to outwit this bacterial top predator in the way they have with ever increasing numbers of antibiotic drugs.

06/04/2017 - RADIO: The Briefing Room: Can the NHS Survive? (28 mins) What are the changes needed now to ensure the NHS is sustainable in the future? The NHS is facing one of the biggest crises in its history. With an ageing population, the increasing cost of drugs and treatments, and lack of funding for social care, the service is under more pressure than ever and the cracks are already starting to show. So will the system be able to cope in future as the UK's population gets older - and can the NHS survive?

24/02/17 - Importance of Clean Air Tackling air pollution will be one of our generation’s biggest challenges.  Increased urbanisation, road, sea, and air congestion along with the ever increasing demand for power impacts the cleanliness of the air we breathe.

26/06/16 - RADIO: The Food Programme: That Gut Feeling: Part Two (28 mins) Dan Saladino returns to the world of the gut microbiota, the vast array of microbes within us all. From the Amazon Basin to East Africa to the life underneath our feet; food will never be quite the same again. Featuring Tim Spector, author of The Diet Myth, Jeff Leach, co-founder of the American Gut Project, microbiome scientist Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello, food professor and author Ken Albala, and DJs Lisa and Alana Macfarlane - aka The Mac Twins.

27/06/15 - Why you need to ditch the diet if you want to lose weight Tim Spector, a physician and professor of genetic epidemiology at King's College London, wants to debunk healthy-eating mantras. Spector decided to rethink his eating habits after a skiing accident left him with high blood pressure, and to investigate the role played by gut microbes in maintaining our health. He draws on his research on microbes, genetics and diet to explore our relationship with food, and to investigate how we can nurture a healthy microbiome by eating according to science.

23/12/15 - RADIO: Farming Today: Antiobiotic Resistance (3 mins starting at 9m30s) Should a vital antibiotic of 'last resort' for humans be banned from use on farms, to lessen the risk of superbugs developing? Professor Nicola Williams, from Liverpool University's Institute of Infection Control and Global Health, discusses the implications of bacteria resistant to the drug Colistin being discovered in the UK.

14/11/15 - Climate change could bring tropical disease epidemics to Britain, health expert warns Paris summit must recognise spreading health danger posed by global warming, says Wellcome Trust director. Epidemics of dengue fever and other tropical diseases could soon affect people in Britain because of global warming, one of the world’s leading medical experts has warned. Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said he also believed the planet is already being affected by many other serious health threats triggered by climate change – including malnutrition and deaths from air pollution.

01/10/15 - RADIO: The Food Programme: A Fat Lot of Good (28 mins) The range of fats and oils available to us is growing but the advice has changed dramatically. Sheila Dillon looks to cut through the latest thinking to help gain clarity of which we should be using when. She's joined in the studio by Dr Michael Mosley whose recent investigation looked into how the composition of saturated and polyunsaturated fats changed when heated with food and resulted in the the production of dangerous aldehydes.

03/09/15 - Jamie's Sugar Rush  "This year my team and I started looking into sugar consumption and what we found led me to film a TV documentary that shows just how devastating the effects of consuming too much sugar can be. I have witnessed enough to give me a solid determination that we have to take action." Jamie Oliver

17/08/15 - RADIO: How to Have a Better Brain (5 x 15 mins) Sian Williams presents a practical and optimistic guide to boosting brain power. Five episodes cover exercise, relaxation, stimulation, sleep, and diet.

30/06/15 - RADIO: The Life Scientific - Henry Marsh (28 mins) Neurosurgeon Henry Marsh talks to Jim Al-Khalili about slicing through thoughts, hopes and memories. Brain surgery, he says, is straightforward. It's deciding whether or not to operate that's hard.

23/06/15 - Health and climate change: policy responses to protect public health The 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change has been formed to map out the impacts of climate change, and the necessary policy responses, in order to ensure the highest attainable standards of health for populations worldwide. This Commission is multidisciplinary and international in nature, with strong collaboration between academic centres in Europe and China. The central finding from the Commission’s work is that tackling climate change could be the greatest global health opportunity of the 21st century.

31/03/15 - RADIO: Allergic to the 21st Century (30 mins) Every day we're exposed to a multitude of man-made chemicals in the food we eat, the air we breathe and the products we clean our homes and wash our bodies with. For some people, like journalist Jane Little, the burden can be almost too much to bear. Certain chemicals trigger extreme physical reactions, leaving her ill and exhausted for days at a time. It's a debilitating condition for her and many thousands of fellow sufferers. Some estimates suggest that 15% of the American population believe they experience ill effects from domestic chemicals.

24/03/15 - RADIO: Restarting the Antiobiotic Pipeline - Part 2 (28 mins) Infectious bacteria are becoming resistant to the drugs that used to kill them. The last new class of antibiotics was discovered in the 1980s. There is little in the development pipelines of the world's pharmaceutical industry. Drug companies got out of antibiotics as their attention switched to much more lucrative daily medicines for chronic diseases. Public funding on antibiotic research has also withered.

23/03/15 - RADIO: Restarting the Antibiotic Pipeline - Part 1 (28 mins) The discovery and deployment of antibiotic drugs in the mid twentieth century led some medics to predict the end of infectious diseases. But the bacteria fought and continue to fight back, evolving resistance to many of the drugs that used to kill them.

2014 Reith Lectures - RADIO:  The Future of Medicine, Dr Atul Gawande examines the nature of progress and failure in medicine, a field defined by what he calls 'the messy intersection of science and human fallibility'. Known for both his clear analysis and vivid storytelling, he explores the growing importance of systems in medicine and argues that the future role of the medical profession in our lives should be bigger than simply assuring health and survival.

11/12/14 - New Report Details the Economic Costs of Superbug Threat  The report, from a group commissioned by British Prime Minister David Cameron to study the issue, is just the latest reminder of the growing threat posed by drug-resistant bacteria. A separate analysis released last week found such superbugs killed 58,000 Indian infants in 2013.

13/10/14 - Drugs flushed into the environment could be cause of wildlife decline Potent pharmaceuticals flushed into the environment via human and animal sewage could be a hidden cause of the global wildlife crisis, according to new research. The scientists warn that worldwide use of the drugs, which are designed to be biologically active at low concentrations, is rising rapidly but that too little is currently known about their effect on the natural world.

16/08/2014 - Our ordinary everyday lives are steeped in chemical products. Invisible, they are encrusted in plastic, in detergents and toasters, concealed in our food, in toys, in shampoo. They have invaded everything, including our bodies. Thanks to the consumer society, petrochemicals, with their magical powers and unfamiliar barbaric names are happily strolling around our little insides. These phthalates, brominated flame retardants, parabens, bisphenol-a, all have the regrettable habit of invading our hormonal intimacy. They are endocrine disruptors. The pioneer scientists taking part in this documentary say that from breast cancer to obesity, this chemical invasion is closely tied up with the diseases of modern society. These findings are more than dramatic, but the film takes a step back from the straight facts, alternating wry humour and poetry. The paper cut-out animation shows parallel sketches of the destinies of human beings and laboratory animals. 1950-60s TV commercials show radiant couples dancing between two-door fridges: a love story between modern man and the marvels of plastic and the profusion of electric appliances, pure allegories of the frenzy of progress.

30/04/14 - Antibiotic resistance now 'global threat', WHO warns  It analysed data from 114 countries and said resistance was happening now "in every region of the world". It described a "post-antibiotic era", where people die from simple infections that have been treatable for decades.

TV: Channel 4 Food Hospital  The Food Hospital returns for a brand new series and this time the team are using food to try to tackle an even greater array of common illnesses, from acne and eczema to epilepsy and ADHD.

23/11/13 - Food waste, overeating threaten global security There's growing concern that western eating habits are affecting more than health

30/10/13 - Britain told social inequality has created 'public health timebomb'. UK is failing its children, women and young people on a grand scale, says Marmot report on links between inequality and health.

11/03/13 - Resistance to antibiotics risks health 'catastrophe' to rank with terrorism and climate change"Whereas antibiotics will only be used for a week or two when they're needed, and then they have a limited life span because of resistance developing anyway."

24/02/13 - Obesity crisis: Doctors called for a new tax on soft drinks this week, reigniting the debate over Britain's obesity crisis. Here's a collection of the best news and teaching resources about this weighty issue

18/02/13 - RADIO:  You & Yours - Michael Mosley looks at health advice on diet, drink and exercise  (55 mins) to find out how government messages are formed, and whether the science behind them still holds true  (at 0 mins "exercise", at 18 mins  "5 fruit and veg a day", at 35 mins "alcohol units").

18/01/13 - Feeding the world, food waste and obesity Two-thirds of the people on this island are overweight or obese. This is not usually discussed in a food waste context, but you could say that eating more food than we need is wasteful.

14/01/13 - Does the 5:2 intermittent fasting diet work?

02/01/13 - TV: BBC One-Breakfast interview with Dr Michael Mosley  (7 mins) Dr Michael Mosley tells us about his new diet where you can eat anything you like for five days a week, and still lose weight - as long as you also fast for two days a week.

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27/11/12 - NHS Should Charge For Smoking, Obesity And Alcohol Related Illnesses Says Tory MP

02/08/12 - TV:  Horizon - Eat, Fast and Live Longer  (5 mins clip)  Dr Michael Mosley has set himself a truly ambitious goal: he wants to live longer, stay younger and lose weight in the bargain. And he wants to make as few changes to his life as possible along the way. He discovers the powerful new science behind the ancient idea of fasting, and he thinks he's found a way of doing it that still allows him to enjoy his food. Michael tests out the science of fasting on himself - with life-changing results. Summary: The power of intermittent fasting

23/07/12 - Study: Sports Drinks Are a Waste of Money, Contribute to Childhood Obesity

01/06/11 - Global food crisis: The challenge of changing diets  Demands for a more western diet in some emerging countries could have a more detrimental affect on global health and hunger than population growth

05/01/11 - Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride speaking on health and diet  at the Oxford Real Farming Conference 2011

Doctor and nutritionist Natasha Campbell-McBride challenges the current dogma about healthy diets

25/11/09 - The links between food waste, obesity, the environment, and marketing

10/04/06 - Is Inequality Making us Sick? Edited transcript of interview with Sir Michael Marmot filmed for UNNATURAL CAUSES. Sir Michael Marmot is Chair of the WHO Commission on Social Determinants of Health, director of the International Institute for Society and Health, and MRC Research Professor of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College, London. He has been at the forefront of research into health inequalities for the past 30 years, including as Principal Investigator of the Whitehall Studies of British civil servants and lead in the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. His book, The Status Syndrome: How Social Standing Affects Our Health and Longevity, is a thorough and accessible look at the effects of class on our health.