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Eating processed meat such as sausage or bacon can increase the risk of bowel cancer, an expert has warned.

Consuming processed meat raises the risk of cancer by around one-fifth, with a 50-gram portion containing enough cancer-causing substances to significantly increase the risk to meat eaters.

Professor Wiseman, medical and scientific adviser for the World Cancer Research Fund, commented: "We are more sure now than ever before that eating processed meat increases your risk of bowel cancer."

He added that the safest amount of such meat to eat is "none at all".

Bowel cancer is the third most common form of cancer in the UK, with one in twenty people being diagnosed with the disease and 16,000 dying from it every year.

In a report last year, the World Cancer Research Fund recommended that people should eat less than 500 grams of cooked red meat a week and, while avoiding processed meat altogether.

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Scientists have discovered six new genes that are linked to type II diabetes, a development that should improve the understanding of the disease.

Taken individually, the disease variants of the genes increase the risk of diabetes only fractionally, but the combined effect of the collection of genes could be substantial, according the scientists.

It is hoped that the findings could help develop new forms of prevention and treatment of the condition.

Mark McCarthy of the University of Oxford, who led the research, said: "The sort of studies we’re doing are designed to pick up common variants.

"Across these six, some of the variants are in ten per cent [of the population], in other cases the one that’s increasing the risk is the majority version that is in 90 per cent."

Diabetes is thought to affect over two million people in the UK, with a further 750,000 who are unaware they have the disease.

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NICE have backed the use of rimonabant for the treatment of overweight and obese adults for those who are either intolerant or contra-indicated for orlistat and sibutramine.

First licensed in 2006, Rimonabant has experienced numerous setbacks which have stopped it from progressing to its expected high-profile status, including a warning against using for patients with depression by the EMEA.

However, NICE’s decision means that it can now be prescribed to overweight and obese patients who have associated risk factors such as type II diabetes or dyslipidaemia.

Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the NOF, has deemed the decision "excellent news".

"Patients who are obese or overweight are at significant risk of developing heart disease and type II diabetes, so it is vital that doctors have a full range of options, alongside lifestyle interventions, to help patients lose weight and cut their risk of disease," he said.

NICE is the independent organisation responsible for providing national guidance on the promotion of good health and the prevention and treatment of ill health.

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York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Centre is holding a research study for an investigational implantable device designed to assist those with type II diabetes who are overweight and not responding to oral anti-diabetic treatments.

The Tantalus System has been developed to sense naturally occurring electrical activity in the stomach and apply electrical stimulation when a person eats.

The hospital is the first New York medical centre to recruit patients in this study.

Commenting on the issue, Dr. Louis Aronne, clinical professor of medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, said: "Even with current medications and lifestyle changes, controlling type II diabetes in patients who are overweight can be difficult.

"This new treatment potentially offers new hope for patients who have been unsuccessful in managing their diabetes and weight."

An earlier study discovered that the device reduced hunger and body weight in morbidly obese individuals, with improvements in blood pressure also being recorded.

Diabetes affects more than one million New Yorkers.

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New research has revealed that most people affected by cancer feel the disease puts a strain on their relationship with their partner.

Cancerbackup surveyed 373 people-215 with a cancer diagnosis and 157 with a cancer-diagnosed partner-and found that 85 per cent believed cancer had affected their personal relationship.

Around two-thirds said the condition had a detrimental effect on their sexual relationship with their partner, and half said money worries as a result of cancer had strained their relationship.

The group has said that the results emphasises the importance of people affected by the disease knowing where to turn for appropriate support.

Commenting on the findings, Derryn Borley, Cancerbackup head of cancer support services, said: "People don’t know what to expect when they or their partner are diagnosed with cancer and are often shocked by how it affects every aspect of their lives."

He added that health professionals should ensure that people with the disease realise what they are going through is normal.

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New research has indicated that having a large waist in middle age could increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia.

A study in the US looked at some 6,583 people in northern California for an average of 36 years starting when they were ages 40 to 45, with their abdominal size being recorded at the outset.

The researchers found that almost 16 per cent went on to develop Alzheimer’s or some kind of dementia by the time they hit their 70s.

It was found that those in the top 20 per cent in terms of waist size during middle age were nearly three times more likely to develop dementia than those in the bottom 20 per cent.

Rachel Whitmer, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, California, who led the study, said: "It’s not just weight, it’s where you carry your weight that is a very important risk factor."

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NHS spending on anti-obesity drugs in Scotland has soared to nearly £5 million a year to accommodate a five-fold increase in prescriptions for overweight patients.

New statistics have revealed that more than 100,000 prescriptions have been issued for drugs to treat obesity in the last 12 months- up some 16 per cent from the previous year.

Opposition members of parliament have urged improved action from ministers in fighting Scotland’s obesity problem, which is now the worst in Europe.

Minister for Public Health Shona Robison commented: "The Scottish Government recognises that obesity is an increasing problem and poses a serious threat to health. This is why we are taking steps to avert the onset of unhealthy weight, particularly early in life, as a high priority."

She added that the government will be investing £56.5 million in initiatives targeting the obesity problem over the next three years.
The government is also set to publish an obesity action plan later this spring, which will outline its future plans in tacking the problem.

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Depression and negative thoughts could be detrimental to cardiac health, it has been claimed.

Researchers believe that long-term chronic forms of depression and anxiety could play a role in heart disease.

Nancy Frasure-Smith of McGill University in Montreal, Canada and her colleagues spent two years monitoring over 800 people with stable heart disease, including around 100 individuals who also suffered with depression or anxiety.

Commenting on the issue, Ms Frasure-Smith said: "The link between depression and heart disease has been explored from every angle, and there is a strong relationship here."

She added that the evidence "keeps growing stronger", adding that it was "no surprise" that anxiety appears play a role as well.

A study in the mid-1990s found that people with major depressive disorders were twice as likely as those in a control group to suffer a first-time heart attack over a 13-year study period.

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A new screening programme which aims to detect the early signs of bowel cancer is being introduced in Greater Manchester.

The home tests are being sent to men and women aged between 60 and 69 across the region every two years in an attempt to reduce deaths caused by the condition, which is the second-biggest killer in the UK.

Additionally, doctors are urging people aged 70 and over to request a kit, which can then be returned for appropriate testing.

The condition is responsible for some 16,000 deaths in Britain every year, but can be cured with early detection.

Commenting on the issue, public health consultant Billie Moores said: "Early detection is crucial to lowering the number of deaths from bowel cancer. Screening could reduce deaths by 16 per cent in those who are tested."

The programme is only available to a selected places across the UK, but it is expected to be implemented everywhere by the end of 2009.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with cancer.

Research by New York University dental research team has found evidence that suggests pregnant women with gum disease are more prone to gestational diabetes mellitus than pregnant women with healthy gums.

The study looked at 256 women at New York’s Bellevue Hospital Centre through their first six months of pregnancy and discovered that the twenty two women who developed gestational diabetes had substantially higher levels of periodontal bacteria and inflammation.

Published in the April 2008 issue of the Journal of Dental Research, the results emphasise how important it is for pregnant women to maintain good oral hygiene.

Dr. Ananda P Dasanayake, a professor of epidemiology & health promotion at the NYU College of Dentistry, commented: "In addition to its potential role in preterm delivery, evidence that gum disease may also contribute to gestational diabetes suggests that women should see a dentist if they plan to get pregnant, and after becoming pregnant,"

He added that there will be further research on the link between the two conditions.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with diabetes.