News digest – rising childhood obesity, personalised medicine, binge drinking falls and air pollution and mouth cancer

Year 6 obesity rates hit record high

The number of year 6 pupils in the UK who are severely obese has risen, the BBC reports. The new figures also show that children aged 10-11 years who live in deprived areas are more likely to be severely obese than those who don’t.

‘No deal’ Brexit could affect warning labels on tobacco

The BBC looks at how a a ‘no deal Brexit could change the health warning labels on packs of tobacco. If an agreement isn’t reached the designs on the labels will have to change because the European Commission owns the copyright to the ones currently used.

Celebrity prostate cancer stories helped raise awareness

NHS England have said they saw a huge increase to the NHS’s prostate cancer advice page in the month Stephen Fry and Bill Turnbull revealed they had prostate cancer. Read Sky News for more.

A step in the right direction for personalised medicine

New research, reported by iNews, suggests that using a mixture of high-res imaging and computer modelling could one day help match a patient’s tumour to the best treatment. The experimental technique looked at tumours in mice with cancer.

NHS England to reduce sugary drinks sold on site

NHS England have said its hospitals have promised to make sure only 1 in 10 soft drinks sold on their premises contain added sugar. The Sun says the limit will help patients, visitors and staff cut down their sugar intake.

Under 25s drink less alcohol than previous generations

Drinking alcohol in under 25s is becoming less common, says the BBC. Results of a new study showed that the number of young people who have never drunk has increased and binge drinking has fallen. In 2005, 27 in 100 people said they binge drank but 2015 figures show this has dropped to 18 in 100.

Pizza size to decrease to tackle obesity

Public Health England are calling for pubs and restaurants to reduce portion sizes of pizza and pies. According to the Mail Online, the new guidelines will cut the calories found in these dishes and will help tackle rising obesity rates.

And finally

Taiwanese researchers have found a link between very high air pollution and an increased risk of mouth cancer in men, reports the Guardian. But pollution levels are particularly high in Taiwan, so more research is needed to see if this also applies to less polluted areas.

Gabi