Australians may be living longer, but the growing incidence of cancer, heart disease, diabetes and back pain mean we’re spending more time living with illness, reveals the latest Global Burden of Disease…
OBESE NATION: It’s time to admit it - Australia is becoming an obese nation. Today we launch a series looking at how this has happened and, more importantly, what we can do to stop the obesity epidemic…
Newborn screening for life-threatening congenital heart defects using pulse oximetry - a simple, low-cost test - is the most accurate detection method and should be adopted internationally for all newborns…
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently revised the safety labels for statins, widely used anti-cholesterol drugs. They mandated label warnings saying statins may increase the risk of type 2…
Babies born through IVF procedures are at greater risk of developing heart problems, according to research that suggests “manipulating nature in this way may have some adverse results”, an Australian IVF…
Fast foods in Australia contain less salt than their equivalent in the US but more than in France and Britain, a comparison of meals at major chain stores such as McDonald’s and KFC has found. Elizabeth…
Eating a portion of processed red meat every day dramatically increases the risk of death from heart disease and cancer, according to a study of more than 120,000 people over almost three decades. The…
A drug used to treat heart disease may have the additional effect of reducing subconscious racial bias, a study has found. Researchers who gave people the drug propranolol found that they scored much lower…
I’ve never been a smoker but lately I’ve started to take on some of the same zeal of reformed addicts. You see, a few years ago, I took a long, hard look at myself and decided to kick one of the most unnecessary…
People with major depression and anxiety are 75% more likely to have a heart rate condition linked to cardiovascular disease - regardless of whether they are taking antidepressants, new research shows…
Governments should tax added sweeteners and limit their sale to people over a certain age, say health experts who consider sugar just as toxic to our health as alcohol. The consumption of sugar has tripled…
Want to quit smoking, lose weight, manage your diabetes or get a good night’s sleep? No worries. There’s an app for all of that. But it’s not always clear which medical apps are based on solid evidence…
Professor and Programme Director, SA MRC Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science - PRICELESS SA (Priority Cost Effective Lessons in Systems Strengthening South Africa), University of the Witwatersrand