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Drinking one cup of coffee a day could half the risk of developing mouth cancer, new research has suggested.

According to a new study conducted by Japanese scientists which tracked patients for 13 years, those drinking at least one cup were at a significantly reduced risk of developing the disease.

Carried out at Tohoku University School of Medicine in Japan, the research indicated that chemicals present in caffeine are able to shield the body’s DNA against damage that can lead to cancer.

The scientists claim a caffeine hit could minimise the effects of alcohol and tobacco – which are the main causes of this form of the disease.

"One of the most significant findings was the inverse association between coffee and those at high risk of these cancers, namely current drinkers and smokers," said the report.

"Although quitting alcohol and smoking is the best known way to help reduce the risk, coffee could be a preventive factor."

According to Cancer Research UK, mouth cancer kills around 1,600 people in the UK every year.

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Almost one in three children as young as two is now classed as obese, according to a new government report.

Furthermore, many young people are smoking and drinking from as early as eight years old.

According to the report, some 31 per cent of all children aged between two and 15 were obese or overweight in 2007, compared to 24.5 per cent 12 years ago.

Nearly 12 per cent of children aged between eight and 15 admitted they had smoked, while two per cent stated they smoked on a regular basis.

Critics have warned that the soaring levels of obesity, alcohol consumption and smoking among the nation’s youth are creating a health timebomb for the future.

Shadow health secretary Andrew Lansley said: "Labour’s neglect over issues like obesity and alcohol abuse will leave a terrible legacy for the next Government to try and fix. We urgently need action now to tackle Britain’s ticking obesity timebomb."

A recent study by EarlyBird Diabetes suggested that childhood obesity is determined before the age of five.

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New research has found that olive oil could help to reduce the risk of breast cancer.

Researchers from the Catalan Institute of Oncology and Antonio Segura-Carretero from the University of Granada in Spain worked to find a link between olive-oil rich Mediterranean diets and a reduced breast cancer risk.

The team found two chemicals present in the oil, called lignans and secoiridoids, which can help to block the protein involved in the development of certain breast cancers.

Javier Menendez, from the Catalan Institute, said "complex phenols" in olive oil can "drastically suppress overexpression of the cancer gene HER2", which is present in around one-fifth of breast cancer tumours.

He added: "These findings … suggest that these polyphenols might provide an excellent and safe platform for the design of new anti breast-cancer drugs”

A recent study by Israeli scientists found that women who took the fertility drug clomiphene were four times more likely to develop womb cancer.

The drug was also linked to increased risks of breast cancer, malignant skin cancer and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

New research has found that a low-glycemic index diet is better for people with type II diabetes to keep their blood sugar down, according to new research.

A study by the University of Toronto, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, claims such a diet is better for diabetes sufferers than one which is high in fibre.

In the study, a low-glycemic diet consisting of beans, peas, lentils, past and rice among others was compared to a high-fibre diet containing whole grain cereals, brown rice and potatoes.

After a six-month period, the level of A1C haemoglobin was measured in the diabetes patients, which reflects blood glucose level.

Those on the low-glycemic diet’s long-term A1C fell 0.50 per cent, compared to only 0.18 for those on the high-fibre alternative.

"Low-glycemic index diets may be useful as part of the strategy to improve glycemic control in patients with type 2 diabetes taking (glucose-lowering) medications," concluded the researchers.

Recent research found that using type II diabetes drugs rosiglitazone and pioglitzone for over a year can thin the bones and increase the risk of breakage.

Childhood obesity is determined before the age of five, ministers will hear from researchers later.

The EarlyBird Diabetes study – which is being published in the journal Pediatrics - is to be presented to ministers this week.

Researchers are expected to point out that most of children’s excess weight gain happens before school age.

According to latest figures, one in four children aged four to five in England are overweight.

The authors recommend that schemes to prevent childhood obesity should be put in place before children start their schooling.

Lead researcher Professor Terry Wilkin, of the Peninsula Medical School, Plymouth, said: "When they reach the age of five the die seems to be cast, at least until the age of puberty.

"What is causing it is very difficult to know."

David Haslam, of the National Obesity Forum, noted that it is "never too early" to step in to prevent the onset of obesity.

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A new treatment that can prevent asthma-like symptoms has been developed.

The new vaccine – which has been funded by Asthma UK – aims to regulate overactive responses to harmless substances such as dust and pollen.

Dr Noble and his team at King’s College London have developed a treatment which represses such responses by boosting the cells which control the body’s protective mechanisms.

Past treatments have been ineffective because they have failed to activate enough cells to render the immune system powerful enough to fight the condition, reports Medical News Today.

Dr Alistair Noble says: "The vaccine/booster mix would aim to give long-term protection against allergic reactions and asthma symptoms, without reducing the immune system’s ability to defend the body against infections."

He added that it would function in a similar way to vaccinations for measles and TB, in that one injection would be enough to protect a person for several years.

Dr Elaine Vickers, Research Relations Manager at Asthma UK, said she was the new treatment could give asthma sufferers "long lasting protection" from the condition.

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Type I diabetes has been linked to the food intolerance disorder coeliac.

Coeliac disease attacks the small intestine, while Type I diabetes affects the pancreas which limits its ability to produce sufficient insulin.

However, a new study has ascertained that both conditions derive from a malfunctioning immune system.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, examined nearly 20,000 tissue samples to identify genetic similarities between the two conditions.

The study – which has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine – found seven chromosomes which linked the two conditions.

Researcher Professor David van Heel said: "These findings suggest common mechanisms causing both coeliac and type I diabetes - we did not expect to see this very high degree of shared genetic risk factors."

Sarah Sleet, of the charity Coeliac UK, said the research was a significant advance in the treating a condition which is often undiagnosed.

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Drugs used to treat type II diabetes can significantly increase a woman’s risk of breaking a bone, according to new research.

UK and US researchers have discovered that the use of drugs such as rosiglitazone and pioglitzone for more than a year can thin the bones.

Such drugs have been linked to bone fracture risk in the past, as well as being implicated in heart problems.

Rosigliatzone and pioglitazone featured on some two million prescriptions last year in the UK alone.

However, the European Medicines Agency has argued that the drugs’ benefits outweigh their risks.

Lead researcher Dr Yoon Loke, of the University of East Anglia, said: "Women with type II diabetes are already at an increased risk of fractures - with a near doubling in the risk of hip fractures - so any additional risk from thiazolidinedione therapy could have a considerable impact on public health."

Elsewhere, research published in the journal Nature Genetics suggested the body clock is linked to type II diabetes.

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Obesity levels in the UK have almost doubled in the last 14 years, according to new government figures.

Some 24 per cent of men and women were obese in 2007 compared with 16 per cent of women and 13 per cent of men in 1993.
Furthermore, the new report suggests that many people substantially underestimate the amount of exercise needed to keep their weight in check, despite the government’s healthy eating messages.

Based on data from the Health Survey for England, the report found that more than two-thirds of men and women were unaware of how much exercise constituted a healthy lifestyle.

Tim Straughan, chief executive of The NHS Information Centre, said: "Today’s report reveals that more people are taking action to improve their diet and increase their level of exercise, despite the population lacking awareness of official health advice."

Spokesman for the National Obesity Forum Tam Fry said the government needs to be "concerned" with the 25 per cent of the population who are not heeding such advice.

The Insurance Helpline specialises in obtaining cover for people living with obesity

Those people suffering from depression are being let down by nurses due to a lack of training, it has been claimed.

Nurses at primary health care level do not have sufficient training to effectively deal with people with mental health issues, according to new research by the University of Ulster.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph, Dr Carole McIlrath said primary care nurses are often the "first point of call" for most people contacting the health service.

"There is a need for more adequate funding and increased staffing levels to train nurses to deal with this particular mental health issue," she said.

She added that more needs to be done to address the training gap, given that the condition affects around 120 million people across the globe.

Elsewhere, a recent study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry indicated that children with low birth weights could be more prone to depression in later life.

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