New blood test could provide early diagnosis of cancer

Scientists claimed to have developed a simple blood test, which can accurately detect the early stages of breast and lung cancer in just an hour. Researchers from the Kansas State University developed the test that can detect cancer, even before symptoms like coughing and weight loss start.

The test works by detecting increased enzyme activity in the body. Iron nanoparticles coated with amino acids and a dye, are introduced to small amounts of blood or urine from a patient. The amino acids and dye interact with enzymes in the patient’s urine or blood sample. Each type of cancer produces a specific enzyme pattern, or signature, that can be identified by doctors.

The test was developed by chemistry professor Stefan Bossmann and anatomy professor Deryl Troyer. Professor Troyer said, “Right now the people who could benefit the most are those classified as at risk for cancer, such as heavy smokers and people who have a family history of cancer. The idea is these at risk groups could go to their physician’s office quarterly or once a year, take an easy to do, non invasive test, and be told early on whether cancer has possibly developed.”

The fact that this test specifically tests for lung cancer and breast cancer, is of significant importance. The American Cancer Society estimates about 40,000 breast cancer deaths and 160,000 lung cancer deaths are expected in the United States for 2012. Also as these statistics from Cancer Research UK show below, lung and breast cancer are the two most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide.

The 10 Most Commonly Diagnosed Cancers Worldwide:

• Lung – (13%)
• Breast – (11%)
• Colorectum – (10%)
• Stomach – (8%)
• Prostrate – (7%)
• Liver – (6%)
• Cervix – (4%)
• Oesophagus – (4%)
• Bladder – (3%)
• Non Hodgkin Lymphoma – (3%)

Unfortunately breast and lung cancer also feature in the top 5, for most common causes of death from cancer worldwide. With the exception of breast cancer, most types of cancer can be categorized in 4 stages based on tumour growth and the spread of cancer cells throughout the body. The diagnosis is made in most situations in stage 2 or 3, when the survival rate is lower than stage 1 or 2.  In addition, Bossmann said, “that very few people manage to discover they have cancer in early stages.”

Breast and lung cancer are typically found and diagnosed in stage 2, the stage when people often begin exhibiting symptoms such as pain, fatigue and coughing. Numerous studies show that the earlier cancer is detected, the greater chance a person has against the disease. “The problem, though, is that nobody knows they’re in stage 1. There is often not a red flag to warn that something is wrong. Meanwhile, the person is losing critical time,” said Professor Bossmann.

Researchers evaluated the test’s accuracy on 32 separate participants in various stages of breast or lung cancer. Data was collected from 20 people with breast cancer, ranging in age from 36 to 81 years old and 12 people with lung cancer, ranging in age from 27 to 63 years old.

Twelve people without cancer were also tested as a control group. This group ranged in age from 26 to 62 years old. A blood sample from each participant was tested three times. Analysis of the data showed a 95 percent success rate in detecting cancer in participants.

Bossmann said, “These enzyme patterns can also help distinguish between cancer and an infection or other diseases, which commonly occur in the human body. For example, a person who smokes a lot of cigars may develop an inflammation in their lungs. That will drive up some of the markers in the test but not all of them. Doctors will be able to see whether there was too much smoke inhalation or if there is something more serious going on. False positives are something that we really want to avoid.”

In addition to early detection, the test can be used to monitor cancer and observe the effectiveness of drugs, as a patient is being treated. Similarly, doctors can use the dye in the test to determine if the entirety of a tumour has been successfully removed from a patient after surgery. The researchers have designed a second testing method that is anticipated to produce the same results in about five minutes. Also, researchers want to develop a similar test to detect pancreatic cancer earlier.

Viral treatment offers hope to acne sufferers

Many of us will have suffered with spots or pimples throughout our teenage years; however, for some people it is much worse than a few inconvenient spots. Many suffer the misery, pain and embarrassment of acne which can have a devastating effect on someone’s life. In fact acne affects eight out of ten people between the ages of 11 and 30 in the UK and there is currently no cure for this emotionally and physically scarring condition.

There are many treatments available for acne with varying levels of success. There are: antibiotics, topical creams and Retin A gel, and for female sufferers, there are hormone based treatments such as Dianette (oral contraceptive) and non hormonal Spironolactone. Unfortunately there is no product that works every time for everyone.

However, now according to scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles, and at the University of Pittsburgh, the cure to your acne problems could be right under your nose … or, in fact, on any part of your face. Scientists have found that common, benign viruses living on your skin could be natural and effective killers of the bacteria that cause the most common kind of acne.

While many factors can lead to an outbreak of common acne, known medically as acne vulgaris, the underlying cause is the bacterium Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), which covers human skin. Sudden growth of these bacteria can alarm the immune system and cause inflammation, resulting in pimples.

Acne is most common during adolescence because, in part, the natural surge of sex hormones can cause hair follicle glands to grow larger and make more sebum, an oily substance that lubricates the skin. The P. acnes live primarily on the fatty acids of the sebum. More sebum means more P. acnes.

Current treatments are based on the various factors: cleaning pores of sebum so as to remove the bacteria’s food source, antibiotics to kill bacteria, anti-inflammatory medicine to reduce swelling or hormonal treatments, particularly for adults suffering from hormonal imbalances. Yet each approach has its limitations. For example, antibiotics ultimately can fail because the P. acnes can develop natural resistance. And many acne medicines have adverse side effects.

Although antibiotics can be effective in treating acne, antibiotic-resistant strains of P. acnes have emerged, highlighting the need for better therapies. This where the virus, called a phage comes in. It is naturally built to target and kill bacteria that cause acne, P. acnes.

These viruses are a type called bacteriophages, meaning they feed only on bacteria and not on human cells, unlike viruses such as HIV or poliovirus. Because certain bacteriophages naturally seek out the very bacteria that cause acne and live in the same environment, they could be better at controlling acne than the foreign concoctions now in use. When pitted against the facial bacteria in the lab, the viruses easily mopped up their acne causing foes.

After conducting a genetic analysis of these phages, known for decades, scientists suspect that new acne medicines can be made from them. For the study, scientists isolated and found the genetic sequence for the phages and Propionibacterium acnes, from human volunteers with and without acne.

They discovered that the phages make a protein called endolysin, which breaks down the bacteria before killing it. They also found the phages shared 85 percent of their DNA, which is unusual for viruses. This means if the viruses were developed as a treatment, it would not be likely for immune resistance to develop.

Graham Hatfull, Eberly Family Professor of Biotechnology at the University of Pittsburgh, said, “This work has given us very useful information about the diversity of that set of enzymes and helps pave the way for thinking about potential applications.” He hopes that the scientists can turn the phages into a topical treatment to help combat acne.

And this was a view backed up by lead author Dr Robert Modlin, Chief Professor of Dermatology, Microbiology, Immunology & Molecular Genetics, at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, who said, “That while acne is a problem that many experience, there aren’t that many ways to cure it. Harnessing a virus that naturally preys on the bacteria that causes pimples could offer a promising new tool against the physical and emotional scars of severe acne.”

Pensioners given sexual health advice as STIs increase

The thought of anybody who happens to be over the age of about 50 having sex, may be unthinkable to some people, but shock horror, it does happen! In fact due to advancements in healthcare, increasing gym memberships and people starting to look after themselves better compared to recent years, there is a new age of fit, sexually-active over-60-year olds who are giving the younger generation a run for their money.

This shift towards a young mentality has prompted one council to launch their first ever sexual health strategy, kicking-off last week and which also happened to fall during Sexual Health Week, which we covered here.

It is Croydon Borough Council who is the concerned party, and has now created a ‘sex at 60’ leaflet, warning OAPs about the dangers of casual sex with multiple partners. Labour Councillor Maggie Mansell argued this action was necessary as pensioners are generally more ‘fitter’ and ‘active’ now than ever.

When speaking to a local Croydon newspaper, the Councillor said, “The over 60s are fitter and more active than previous generations. They started their sex lives after the pill and before Aids and did not get used to using condoms. The over-60s do not need contraception but they do need modern advice.”

She advised the council on the importance of the pamphlet, so that the over-60s are warned that regardless of age, the dangers of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are still very high if they engaged in unprotected, casual sex.

The need for action may stem from a particular 2010 report released from the Health Protection Agency (HPA), which documented a gradual increase in the number of people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s having sex with new partners from the year 2000.

The same report also stated how all five major STIs had seen a rise within older people. In particularly those aged 45 to 64 years of age had seen the biggest increase in herpes, syphilis, chlamydia and genital warts between 2000 and 2009. This same age group had the second largest increase in gonorrhoea, bettered only by the over-65s, which alone proves that everybody can contract an STI; it is not just teens who are at risk like so many assume.

In what could empathise how the problem seems to be escalating, the HPA found that cases of syphilis in 45 to 64-year-olds spiralled ten-fold from a mere 52 in 2000, reaching 503 in 2009. In the over-65s, cases of the same STI more than quadrupled from just 7 in 2000 to 32 in 2009.

Now the borough’s new sexual health strategy will hopefully bring these figures down. Key figures in the schemes admit whilst the plans were mainly aimed at younger people in the community, provisions would be made to cover all ages. Some of the new plans include widening the provision of condoms through pharmacists for the under-25s and other ‘high-risk’ groups, delivering sexual health drop-in clinics at various colleges, increasing the number of pharmacies providing sexual health services and increasing the number of centres that offer chlamydia screening and free treatment.

Tory Councillor Margaret Mead, the cabinet member for adult services and health, commented on the plans for better sexual health, saying, “This strategy is about improving the health and well-being of communities and ensuring residents have the knowledge to make the right choices regarding their sexual health. We also aim to encourage people to change their behaviour for their own personal well-being and for the benefit of making the most effective use of healthcare budgets.”

Medical Specialists Pharmacy is not surprised by the actions of Croydon Council. Increasing rates of STIs in older people is a topic we have looked into several times in the past such as earlier this year and even back in 2011. The government needs to tackle this lax attitude as it seems to be that people over the age of 40 seem to think they are immune to picking up an STI. However, it is not just a young person’s game; anyone is at risk! The HPA stats are understandable and we personally have experienced a huge number of patients of a surprising varying age range requesting everything from Clamelle chlamydia test kits, to chlamydia medication Azithromycin, the herpes antiviral medication Valtrex and condoms!

Cancer fatalities should drop as fewer people smoke

Just one week ago, Medical Specialists realise we may have painted a fairly gloomy picture of what life could be like in eighteen years’ time, when we reported how some were predicting obesity levels to soar by 2030 in both the UK and U.S.

However, maybe we should turn that frown upside down after all! With the ‘Stoptober’ campaign set to get underway next Monday, Cancer Research UK have released a whole set of estimations for the same year (2030), and they predict that the rates of many different types of cancer are set to decrease by this point. The positive statistics are also for the charities’ ‘Stand Up To Cancer’, a fundraising partnership between Cancer Research UK and Channel 4. The campaign’s finale will be live TV entertainment show to be broadcast on Friday October 19.

They say that more efficient diagnosis for cancers and treatment will result in a reduction in cancer death rates by up to 17% by 2030. Smoking is the cause of many cancers such as throat, lung, mouth, etc., and this harmful lifestyle choice was obviously the basis of their research. A main reason for the predicted 17% drop is because there are now less people smoking than previous years, which could be down to certain adverts depicting images of blackened lungs after the damaging long-term effects of smoking.

In 2010 it was calculated that for every 100,000 of the general population in the UK, 170 people died from cancer. By 2030 this figure is estimated to have dropped by then to 142 for every 100,000. Breast cancer death rates are predicted to decrease by 28%, bowel cancer should drop by 23% and prostate cancer by 16%. However the largest decrease appears to be ovarian cancer, which is forecast to nosedive by an impressive 42.6%.

Interestingly, some cancers could increase by mortality rates. Liver cancer appears to look to be the worst, with death rates expected to rise by 39%. That means there is an incidence increase from 4.2 to 5.9 per 100,000 people. Next is oral cancer, which may rise by 22%.  This is an incidence rise from 2.9 to 3.5 per 100,000 people.

Professor Peter Sasieni, Cancer Research UK epidemiologist at Queen Mary, University of London, spoke on the forecasts for 2030 and said, “Our latest estimations show that for many cancers, adjusting for age, death rates are set to fall dramatically in the coming decades. And what’s really encouraging is that the biggest cancer killers, lung, breast, bowel, and prostate, are part of this falling trend. Because old age is the biggest risk factor for cancer and more people are living longer, they have a greater chance of developing and, unfortunately, dying from the disease. But overall the proportion, or rate, of those who die from cancer is falling.”

Adding to Professor Sasieni’s comments was Dr Harpal Kumar, Cancer Research UK’s chief executive, who said, “These new figures are encouraging and highlight the huge progress we’re making. Research across many areas is having real impact. But we know there’s still so much more to do if we are to reach a day when no one dies prematurely from cancer. We continue to rely on the publics’ generosity to drive progress. This helps us turn discoveries made in our science labs into new treatments and to carry out clinical trials to find the best ways to treat patients. There are more exciting opportunities now to make a step-change than at any other time in history and we must grasp these.”

The myth of the person who has a ‘slow metabolism’

We probably all know the person who battles with weight struggles, pinning the problem down to their apparent ‘slow metabolism’, some even arguing that this has even been passed down to them through ancestors suffering with these dodgy genes that hinder any potential weight loss. However, just how true is this? Do overweight and obese people really suffer with a ‘slow metabolism’?

On the flip side there are then the people who regularly consume takeaways, chocolate bars, beers, without seemingly growing a belly of any kind, don’t add any inches to their waist, and don’t seem to gain a single pound. How do they do it? Are they superhuman compared to the rest of us, do they work incredibly hard at the gym on a regular basis on the sly, or are they possessed with a metabolism faster than the speed of light?

Firstly, we must understand what exactly a person’s metabolism is. Many people automatically assume that metabolism is merely the body burning up calories, and thus leading to weight loss. Whilst this is half-true, there is more to it than this. In fact metabolism is the complex process by which the body breaks down food and converts it into energy (measured in kilojoules). Therefore surely somebody with a ‘slow metabolism’ would actually not receive the necessary energy from the food they eat and would actually lose weight!

The breaking down of food and conversion to energy are processes called anabolism (constructive metabolism) and catabolism (destructive metabolism). In anabolism, small molecules are changed into larger, more complex molecules of proteins, carbohydrates and fats. Anabolism to work successfully, needs energy via the calories in food, and is the process by which the body stores energy. In catabolism, the large molecules are broken down by cells in order to release energy and dispose of waste. This energy release provides fuel for anabolism. Therefore anabolism and catabolism exist in balance with each other and are the two most important factors of metabolism.

An important term that should be taken into account when considering weight gain/weight loss is basal metabolic rate (BMR). This refers to how many calories you use up over the course of a day if you just did nothing besides resting all day long. Basically it is the release and use of energy purely for the functioning of vital organs to keep you alive including; heart lungs, nervous system, kidneys, etc.

A good, accurate reading of a person’s BMR is taken by analysing their levels of oxygen breathed in and the amount of carbon dioxide breathed out. The best times to deduce a more accurate reading are first thing in the morning, after an overnight fast, or when the person is lay down in relaxing and comfortable surroundings. After testing BMRs for a number of people, scientists have found in numerous studies that overweight people actually use up more energy to keep their bodies ticking along. This is mainly because larger individuals will have bigger organs and muscles to go with their larger frame.

Therefore it makes little sense for somebody overweight to blame this on a ‘slow metabolism’. If anything, they will no doubt have a higher BMR in comparison to those of a more average weight as their bodies and muscles have to work that little bit harder each day to cope with the extra weight. More muscle mass results in more energy being expended when dormant and a higher metabolic rate. In general, men tend to have much larger muscle mass than women and will thus typically have a higher BMR too.

So what about the person who is overweight and blames this on their ‘slow metabolism’? You can now tell them that this is just a myth. Remember that weight loss only happens when the amount of energy the body uses is more than the amount of energy it is taking in. If the body is taking in more calories than it is burning up, then these calories will be turned into and stored as fat.

A ‘slow’ or ‘fast’ metabolism depends is the basal metabolic rate; somebody with a low BMR will burn fewer calories whilst resting compared to somebody else with a high BMR. Those who want to lose weight will need to re-evaluate their daily diet intake and consider becoming more active. Eating less, or moving more are the obvious ways to lose weight, but preferably doing both would be advantageous. In addition, both weight training and aerobic exercise are sure-fire ways to start increasing your BMR. There should be no excuse that a ‘slow metabolism’ is in your genes when you can start doing something about it today!

ED drug Cialis gets European approval for benign prostatic hyperplasia

Struggling to think of a link between benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and erectile dysfunction (ED)? You might not be the only one. However, patients who are suffering with both of these conditions may soon be able to be treated through the male impotence wonder drug Cialis, which it seems, is emerging as having multiple uses.

The European Union’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has put forth their recommendations for the approval of the 5 mg daily dose of Cialis to treat the condition BPH that can result in prostate enlargement, a common condition that usually effects older men and leads to problems including; difficulty passing urine, a regular need to urinate, or finding it difficult to completely empty the bladder.

All that waits now is a final ruling from the European Commission, who approves medicinal use for the EU. It usually takes the European Commission about one to two months to decide on CHMP recommendations. All this follows a precedent set back in October 2011 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave their seal of approval for Cialis 5 mg once daily use to be used to alleviate the signs and symptoms of BPH.

Cialis is currently used to help men suffering with ED in over 100 countries and has already been approved in many other countries around the globe for the additional purpose of helping BPH, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Israel, Panama, Russia and South Korea. Therefore, it will surely only be a matter of time before patients can obtain Cialis Daily from Medical Specialists Pharmacy for benign prostatic hyperplasia in addition to treat erectile dysfunction. The best thing we would advise is to keep checking our website for more developments on this subject.

Anthony Beardsworth, senior medical director at Lilly, spoke on the exciting news and said, “The CHMP positive opinion for Cialis marks an important regulatory milestone for Eli Lilly and Co and our commitment to bringing new treatment options to the millions of men who experience ED and BPH.”

If you are a male suffering with urinary problems, then you may be one the 2.4 million men in the UK suffering from BPH. It could be some time yet until Cialis Daily is officially given the green light to fight such issues. In the meantime, urinary problems can be treated through the use of effective medication such as Flomax Relief, which eases the symptoms associated with lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) of a BPH.

Flomax works by relaxing muscles in the prostate gland, relaxing the muscles in the urethra (the tube from the bladder to the outside of the body).  This lets urine pass more freely through the urethra, making it easier to urinate. It is available today from the Medical Specialists Pharmacy chemist shop, costing just £8.75 for 14 capsules, or £15.95 for 28.

Of course if you are a male suffering with erectile dysfunction and would like to know your options in regards to treatment, you may be wondering just what ‘Cialis Daily’ is. Firstly, it is a once-daily tablet supplied in two does; 2.5 mg and 5 mg, with 28 tablets to a pack. It is recommended to be taken at the same time each day for consistency and is suitable for men who are in sexually active long-term relationships. The major benefit is that the mild dose of Tadalafil (Cialis’ active ingredient) will be in your body each day, meaning you do not have to take a tablet each time you have sex. Cialis, Cialis Daily, Levitra, Levitra ODT and Viagra are all available today at great prices through Medical Specialists.

Studies offer breakthrough for male and female fertility

Couples who are looking to conceive via expensive In vitro fertilisation (IVF) could be given fresh hope for a successful ending after scientists at Cardiff University recently made a breakthrough in their studies into male infertility.

Researchers at the University claim that male infertility could be the result of sperm lacking a particular important protein named PLC-zeta (PLCz), and that eggs that do not fertilise due to male infertility may be treated with this active protein that can ‘kick-start’ its ability to fertilise an egg and increase the chances of a successful pregnancy.

The protein begins a process known as ‘egg activation’, which then starts a chain of biological events required for an embryo to develop.

Lead researcher Professor Tony Lai, commented, “We know that some men are infertile because their sperm fail to activate eggs. Even though their sperm fuses with the egg, nothing happens. These sperm may lack a proper functioning version of PLCz, which is essential to trigger the next stage in becoming pregnant. What’s important from our research is that we have used human sperm PLCz to obtain the positive results that we had previously observed only in experiments with mice. If this protein is inactive or missing from sperm, it fails to trigger the process necessary for egg activation – the next crucial stage of embryo development. However, when an unfertilised egg is injected with human PLCz, it responds exactly as it should do at fertilisation, resulting in successful embryo development to the blastocyst stage, vital to pregnancy success. We’ve established that this one sperm protein, PLCz, is absolutely critical at the point where life begins.”

This news has emerged just days after scientists in Australia published findings that offer hope for women in regards to preserving fertility after undergoing cancer treatment.

Experts at The Royal Melbourne and Royal Women’s Hospitals claim that egg cells, or ‘oocytes’, are not killed off by radiation. They say the damage is done after the result of two proteins – PUMA and NOXA – kick-starting into action after they sense DNA disturbance to egg cells.

The scientists carried out tests on mice that did not have either of these particular proteins and it was discovered that the eggs in the mice managed to survive through radiation therapy, and later went on to have perfectly normal offspring. In fact approximately between 50% to 80% of the eggs managed to survive in the mice.

The discovery means that women receiving cancer treatment could now benefit, as well as women who suffer from premature menopause, of which there is an increased chance of infertility, heart disease and osteoporosis.

Lead author Clare Scott spoke on their findings, saying, “What we found was that if you have an egg cell that doesn’t have this PUMA protein, it can actually survive DNA damage by repairing its DNA. This had not been known before. We didn’t know if these very specialised egg cells were capable of repairing DNA and going on to produce normal offspring. In the mice that we worked with, we found that if PUMA was missing, then normal offspring could result. That has great excitement for our understanding of how to come up with a new treatment to prevent infertility.”

Clare’s team are now using human egg cells in experiments to sustain if the proteins act in the same way. If a similar pattern is noted, they hope to create a drug that will work at preventing the two proteins from interfering with and killing the egg cells and thus allowing women to undergo radiation therapy, protecting their fertility.

UK health officials diagnose potentially fatal SARS-like virus

A 49-year-old Qatari male is currently being treated at a London-based hospital after contracting a new respiratory virus that is quite similar to that which claimed the lives of roughly 800 people back in 2003.

The man was transferred to the London hospital via air ambulance and was subsequently tested by health experts, who confirmed that the patient had a ‘SARS-like’ coronavirus.

Coronaviruses are mainly known to infect the upper respiratory and gastrointestinal tract of mammals and birds, but they are thought to be responsible for the majority of common colds within humans and there are currently around five different strains that can infect humans.

The SARS coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome), made headlines in 2002 after first coming to prominence in Hong Kong and ended up spreading to 30 other countries before the condition was finally contained in 2003. It was spread through sneezing and coughing with initial symptoms including muscular pain, headache and fever. After 2 to 10 days respiratory problems begin to develop such as coughing, dyspnoea, and pneumonia. Of the people who contracted SARS during the 2002/2003 outbreak, 9% succumbed to it, with mortality rates especially high in those over 50-years of age.

The patient with the latest case of a SARS-like virus was first admitted to an intensive care unit in Doha, Qatar, on September 7 after complaining of symptoms four days previously. Then on September 11 the patient was transferred to the UK to receive more treatment.

This is the second recent confirmed case of a serious coronavirus as earlier in the year a 60-year-old Saudi national died as a result of his respiratory problems and The Health Protection Agency (HPA) say the two cases are identical. The HPA made the discovery after analysing gene sequences of the virus from the Qatari patient with samples of virus sequenced by Dutch scientists from lung tissue of the Saudi male who died.

Peter Openshaw, director of the Centre for Respiratory Infection at Imperial College London, wanted to alleviate any mass panic and stressed that the novel virus should not prove to be a major concern at this time and may have simply been found because of more intelligent testing methods. He commented, “For now, I would be watchful but not immediately concerned.”

Professor John Watson, head of the respiratory diseases department at the HPA, added, “The HPA is providing advice to healthcare workers to ensure the patient under investigation is being treated appropriately. In the light of the severity of the illness that has been identified in the two confirmed cases, immediate steps have been taken to ensure that people who have been in contact with the UK case have not been infected, and there is no evidence to suggest that they have. As we are aware of only two cases worldwide and there is no specific evidence of on-going transmission, at present there is no specific advice for the public or returning travellers to take but we will share any further advice with the public as soon as more information becomes available.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) have so far yet to state any travel restrictions after the discovery of the illness, with a spokesman from WHO saying, “WHO is currently in the process of obtaining further information to determine the public health implications of these two confirmed cases.”

Great news for dieters as XLS-Medical becomes available

This month sees the release of the fat-binding weight loss aid, XLS-Medical. Many of us will have seen the advertising campaign on TV, however, is XLS-Medical worth considering. Previously XLS-Medical was only available from Boots and Lloyd’s pharmacy; however it has now been made available for general release. This can only be good news for the public because with more companies supplying it, the competition will be sure to bring the price down.

So what exactly is XLS-Medical? What does it contain? How does it work? Is it safe and most importantly does it work? XLS-Medical Fat Binder is a proven weight management aid which comes in tablet form. It can support weight loss efforts as it binds dietary fats in the stomach, preventing that fat from being absorbed by the body. XLS-Medical does this by absorbing the fat molecules to form a fat fibre complex. The fat fibre complex is too large to be absorbed and so is eliminated naturally in your stools when you go to the toilet.

XLS-Medical Fat Binder contains the clinically proven fat binder Litramine and essential fat soluble vitamins A, D and E. These added vitamins help compensate for the loss of fat soluble vitamins from the body. This loss can occur because you are reducing the amount of fat your body absorbs. XLS-Medical Fat Binder has been proven to bind up to 27.4% of fats from food before it replenishes the body with fat soluble vitamins.

The proven weight loss results are compelling in their own right, but it may also be useful to know that XLS-Medical Fat Binder is both gentle on the system, and also has an established safety profile, making it a very helpful weight management tool. It is unusual to experience any side effects. Eleven million packs of XLS-Medical have been sold to date in Europe, with no reported safety issues. Because of the way XLS-Medical works, it does not interfere with the body’s natural workings.

The recommendation for weight loss using XLS-Medical is to adopt a reduced calorie, lower fat diet in addition to regular exercise and to take 2 tablets 3 times a day after meals, with up to 6 tablets taken per day. The NHS suggests that people should aim for sensible weight loss, which is between one and two pounds (0.5 to 1 kilogram) per week. It is also recommended that people monitor their body mass index (BMI) and aim to remain within the healthy range of BMI, which is between 18.5 and 24.9.

XLS-Medical has been clinically proven to aid weight loss. If you consume 500 calories a day fewer than the recommended intake, exercise and take XLS-Medical according to the instructions, you should find that, after 12 weeks, you will have lost significantly more weight than you would have done through dropping calories and increasing exercise alone. This was the result shown in a recent clinical trial under strictly controlled conditions and involving 125 healthy volunteers.

In addition to this XLS-Medical provide an online support programme called ‘123 Hello Me’ which offers:  An interactive weight loss and BMI tracker, which will help you chart your progress and stay motivated, Regular reminders to take your tablets sent straight to your phone and daily hints, tips and encouragement from your personal virtual coach.

The information has been especially designed to be easy to understand and includes meal plans and simple exercise routines. The meal plans are based on those used in the clinical studies. They only contain everyday ingredients, so that they appeal and are useful to as many people as possible.

The 123 Hello Me programme was written by Dietician and Nutritionist Helen Bond who is a consultant dietician. She is the nutrition voice for BBC Radio Derby, a spokesperson for the British Dietetic Association and regularly contributes to the press. Helen is also fully registered with the British Dietetic Association, the Freelance Dieticians Group and the Health Professions Council.

The availability of XLS-Medical certainly looks like it is going to be an important tool in helping people lose weight. Here at Medical Specialists we have been already been helping people achieve weight loss through products such as Xenical and Alli, however now we are pleased to announce that we will be stocking XLS-Medical. Please feel free to ring or place an order online where we will be able to offer competitive prices.

Chemicals in fragrances could trigger asthma and skin problems

Next time you overdo it and shower yourself in perfume or aftershave, spray deodorant on, spray air freshener around the home, use scented candles or even scented toilet roll – think about what all these things could be doing to your health.

We warn this as a leading health expert has spoke on the different ways, highlighting that part of the problem could be down to a ‘contact allergy’ that roughly one in 20 of us suffer from, and this number may be increasing. The contact allergy is in reference to when perfumes and other scented products cause eczema outbreaks as well as dermatitis when they touch the skin, and many more problems other than this can arise.

It is believed that molecules in the fragrances trigger an immune response and result in the sufferer experiencing scaly, cracked, dry and itchy skin.

Dr Susannah Baron, consultant dermatologist at Kent & Canterbury hospital, and BMI Chaucer Hospital, warns that more of the population may start to suffer from such problems in the future. She commented, “Allergies are on the increase, and the amount of perfumed products is also on the rise. Fragrance allergy can show up as contact dermatitis in the site a perfumed product is applied, or as a flare-up of existing eczema. It can be a real problem.”

Dr Baron’s comments follow-on from July of this year when the EU Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety requested that perfume manufacturers should state any possible allergens in their product after reports emerged regarding the risks of skin conditions flaring up after usage.

Dr Baron further warns people to be careful regarding over-using fragranced products as it may not be fully obvious you have developed an intolerance or allergy. She continued, “You don’t react immediately; the body notes that it does not like the chemical and develops ‘memory cells’, which cause inflammation when the body is next exposed to this chemical. Gradually, as you are exposed more and more, the body ramps up its reaction, until it becomes more noticeable to you.”

Even those without existing problems or allergies may be at risk of building up to eventually have a fragrance allergy. Dr Baron says, “You can become suddenly allergic to perfumes and personal care products that you have been using for years. You can also have problems with unexpected products such as scented toilet roll and scented wipes which can cause irritation.”

However, it gets worse. People with skin and scalp conditions are not the only people who could suffer. Those who battle with regular migraines could see a more regular occurrence of severe headaches and experts further warn that products like plug-in deodorisers and mild air fresheners have chemicals in them that could induce an asthma attack. The charity Asthma UK claims that perfumes can affect the airways in asthma sufferers and result in breathing difficulties.

Asthma UK are not the only ones to warn about the dangers though. Over in America, Dr Stanley Fineman, of the Atlanta Allergy and Asthma Clinic in the U.S., says he has conducted research that shows a clear alteration to lung function when the lungs come into contact with particular chemical fragrances.

So what can be done then to avoid or manage all these potential problems? Firstly, if you do suffer with eczema, you should always try to only use non-fragranced emollient to wash your hands and body. Migraine sufferers would be advised to keep a diary that documents what particular products trigger a migraine and this will enable them to keep their exposure to an absolute minimum. Dermatitis is another issue that we touched upon earlier, and this can be treated with therapeutic medicated shampoo such as T/Gel which costs just £4.95 from Medical Specialists Pharmacy. In addition, if you have suffering with allergies and/or asthma then we are at hand to help. We have a vast range of medications to help both asthma and allergy sufferers, all at great prices. If you are suffering from asthma-like symptoms, you should see your doctor immediately for a diagnosis.

Your doctor is able to prescribe medication if he feels you have asthma. If you have already been prescribed an inhaler or have lost your inhaler or run out and cannot get a prescription immediately, we are able to supply you an inhaler to help your asthma symptoms. For suitable patients we have both blue (relievers) inhalers such as Ventolin and Salbutamol, and brown (preventers) inhalers such as Qvar Beclomethasone and Qvar Easi-Breathe.

If you suffer from hay fever or allergies we have many options for you including Alomide allergy eye drops , Loratadine tablets, Nasonex spray, Prevalin allergy nasal spray and Prevalin allergy kids nasal spray.

Free bus passes keep the elderly fit and healthy

There have been long-standing rumours that the coalition government plan to scrap free bus passes to the over-60s and the disabled in an attempt to save on the £1.1 billion each year that the scheme costs. The initiative was first introduced in 2006 and enables holders to cost-free local bus travel after 09.30am on weekdays and all day long during weekends and public holidays.

It means those who are eligible for the passes can relax slightly in regards to money worries in the grip of the UK’s double-dip recession. As David Cameron faces pressure to curb public spending, the scheme may be wiped out altogether though or be restricted on a means-tested basis where the person’s wealth would be studies prior to acceptance.

However researchers from The Imperial College London have hit back at these plans. They argue the free bus pass scheme for the over-60s should remain and that it may even be more cost effective to stick with it in the long-term, saying it is ‘value for money’ amongst older people.

The researchers analysed information they had obtained from the National Travel Survey which dated back to 2005, a year prior to the free travel coming into play. Their data ran through for two years after the scheme had been operating, to 2008.

They studied the travel diaries and habits of 11,218 people who possessed a bus pass, against 5,693 who did not have one. The percentage of respondents with a free bus pass soared from 56.8% to 74.7% between 2005 and 2008.

It was discovered that those with the bus passes were nearly four times more likely to engage in journeys via ‘active’ travel during the week they kept their diary, and were additionally found to be 15% more likely to report walking three or more times each week. The active travel was defined as walking, cycling or using public transport.

Researchers segregated the bus pass holders into various sub-categories and determined that women over 70 years old and living in London or in urban areas were considerably more inclined to use buses and walk three or more times in a single week in comparison to those without the passes.

The data that they examined to find these conclusions included varying socio-economic groups, indicating that both poorer and wealthier people were fully taking advantage of the scheme, meaning it encourages older people to become more physically active regardless of how wealthy they are.

Sophie Coronini-Cronberg, from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, led the study, and argues that the scheme is advantageous in terms of public health and that the government should take this into account before deciding to overhaul it. She commented, “Although the costs of the scheme are considerable, it may offer value for money as it seems to promote physical activity among older people, thereby helping to reduce inactivity-related mortality and morbidity. Given the need to encourage older people to be physically active, it’s good news that the provision of free bus passes seems to be having a positive impact. Before the government looks at reforming the scheme, they should make sure we understand its value to society. We would welcome more research in this area, such as a detailed cost analysis to establish whether the scheme represents good value for money.”

Scientific proof that chocolate really is addictive, not that we needed a scientist to tell us that!

We've probably all done it at one time or another, you’re sat on the sofa at night and you’ve already eaten a few rows of chocolate. You’re starting to feel full, but for some reason you feel compelled to finish the rest of the bar off and you’ve no idea why.

Well now researchers have found new evidence to explain why many of us are unable to resist a good chocolate every now and then. The urge to overeat such deliciously sweet and fatty treats, traces to an unexpected part of the brain and its production of natural opium like chemical.

The area, part of a larger brain region called the striatum, had previously been primarily linked to the control of physical movement. The new research published this week in the journal, Current Biology and carried out by Alexandra DiFeliceantonio of the University of Michigan, tested this area of the brain out on rats.

DiFeliceantonio’s team made the discovery by giving rats an artificial boost, with a drug delivered straight to a brain region called the neostriatum. Those animals gorged themselves on more than twice the number of M ‘n’ M chocolates than they would otherwise have eaten.

“This means that the brain has more extensive systems to make individuals want to over consume rewards than previously thought. It may be one reason why over consumption is a problem today,” said DiFeliceantonio.

The scientists, from the University of Michigan, studied the area because there were some hints that it might be involved in reward seeking behavior, specifically in encoding just how rewarding something should feel.

So the scientists decided to see what would happen if they infused the area with a synthetic version of the endorphin enkephalin, which acts naturally in the region, while letting rats eat as much as they wanted of M&M chocolates. When the researchers infused that specific area with enkephalin, whose most well known function is as a pain relieving peptide, the rats suddenly upped their intake of chocolate by more than double.

And when they took another group of rats and measured the levels of naturally occurring enkephalin in the area, they found that M&M consumption led to an immediate increase in enkephalin. And the more enkephalin they detected in the region, the faster the rats ate. The study found that enkephalin binds to molecular receptors in the brain, sensitive to opiate chemicals to reduce pain and produce pleasurable feelings.

The extraordinary findings showed comparisons between drug addicts and obese people. DiFeliceantonio said, “The same brain area tested here is active when obese people see foods and when drug addicts see drug scenes. It seems likely that our enkephalin findings in rats mean that this neurotransmitter may drive some forms of over consumption and addiction in people,”

The researchers now hope to unravel a related phenomenon that some of us might wish we could do more to control, what happens in our brains when we pass by our favorite fast food restaurant and feel that sudden desire to stop.

In their paper, the scientists concluded, “Opioid circuitry could in this way participate in normal motivations and perhaps even in generating intense pathological levels of motivation, to over consume reward in binge eating disorders, drug addiction and related compulsive pursuits.”

Binge drinking culture is rife in teens from Manchester and Merseyside

Researchers based at Manchester University have worked with counterparts at Liverpool University to conduct the largest ever health and lifestyle survey of 26 cities and conurbations across Europe. The study has been named as ‘The European Urban Health Indicator System (EURO-URHIS 2) project’.

The areas they looked at were collectively known as the ‘Euro-26’ and included: Amsterdam, Birmingham, Bistrita, Bordeaux, Bratislava, Cardiff, Craiova, Glasgow, Greater Manchester, Iasi, Kaunas, Koln, Kosice, Liepaja, Ljubljana, Maribor, Merseyside, Montpellier, Oberhausen, Oslo, Riga, Siauliai, Skopje, Tetova, Tromso and Utrecht.


The pan-European survey analysed factors such as life expectancy, health and lifestyles across the population in each areas to highlight key policy recommendations.  In regards to the UK regions in the survey, there were perhaps some eyebrow-raising  results.

It was found that Merseyside has the highest population of teenage drinkers, with 55% of 14 to 16 year olds apparently being heavy drinkers. Manchester didn’t fare much better, coming in with 50% still. To put this into perspective, the European average was merely 33% and the lowest rate was found to be 16% in Tetova, Albania. In both Manchester and Merseyside it was also found that the rate of kids who had drunk prior to the age of 13 stood at a shocking 61%. However, the figure was worse though in Bordeaux, France (68%) and Bratislava, Slovakia (62%), although these places did not have high heavy youth drinkers in comparison.

In Greater Manchester and Merseyside it was discovered that depression and anxiety were key problem areas that need to be addressed. Both could be connected to the high rates of binge drinking that evidently seems to be an issue in these regions, and also ever-increasing unemployment rates due to the recession. Cancer, respiratory disease and obesity were both higher in these regions too than the Euro-26 average.

On the flip side, it was not simply all doom and gloom for Mancunians and Liverpudlians. People in Manchester consume a lot more fruit and vegetables than the Euro-26 average and also eat breakfast more frequently; a meal most would argue is the most important meal of the day. Strangely, those in Liverpool had a lower than average perception of their own well-being, yet the survey shows that they tend to smoke a lot less than European counterparts and a flick through many recent Medical Specialists news stories will give you plenty of reasons why not smoking hugely benefits both you and others around you!

More British cities looked at were Birmingham, Cardiff and Glasgow. Respiratory disease fatalities are apparently much higher in Birmingham than the Euro-26 average, but the incidence of male cancers was a lot less. Youngsters in Birmingham can be looked at in a positive light after it was found that heavy drinking and smoking among this group of people is way below the Euro-26 average.

Project coordinator Dr Arpana Verma, from The University of Manchester, explained a bit more about the purpose of their study and said, “The gap between the rich and poor living in urban areas across the world is widening. The urban poor are now worse off than the rural poor. Health inequalities are a greater issue than ever before and it’s becoming increasingly important for policymakers to take the valuable information that we have to offer and translate into policies that can help improve our health. The European Urban Health Conference highlights these disparities and demonstrated effective tools that policymakers can use to improve health for all. Comparison within cities and between cities is becoming an area of interest to researchers, policymakers and the populations they serve. We will shortly launch our website with our preliminary results, including the differences we have seen. By highlighting these differences, we can learn from each other to make our cities healthier, and empower the citizens of Europe.”

Dr Christopher Birt, from the University of Liverpool, added to Dr Verma’s comments and commented, “Networks and public health advocacy is vital if we are to make our urban areas work for our populations in the future. Policy makers and researchers need to work together, with the best evidence, to reduce inequalities and improve health.”

Get aware and protected for Sexual Health Week

You may not be aware of it but this week as well as being National Cholesterol Week, is also Sexual Health Week. Pioneered by The Family Planning Association (FPA) and proudly supported by Medical Specialists Pharmacy, the aim of this week is to promote awareness of a wide variety of sexual health issues. Each year the FPA focus on a different subject in a bid to get people aware and looking after their sexual health. Back in 2009 the main topic of this week was looking at sex and alcohol, in 2010 it was sexual health in the over-50’s, in 2011 it was ‘The Facts of Life, how and when to talk to your children about puberty, relationships and sex’, and now this year in 2012 the FPA and Brook are working together on the ‘XES We can’t go backwards’ campaign.

For those not in-the-know about this new national campaign and its aims, it is a campaign urging people to join in against fighting budget cuts, policy changes, and more specifically; the lack of easy access to contraception due to closures of sexual health centres or alterations to their opening hours. Basically the main premise of the campaign is to protect contraceptive rights and choice.

Both leading sexual health charities FPA and Brook, say that they are receiving an ever-growing number of calls from worried and unhappy members of the public, being denied basic access to the advice, products and services that they require.

FPA Chief Executive, Julie Bentley, commented: “We are seeing the beginnings of a crisis in this critical women’s health issue. Modern contraception is effective in stopping unplanned pregnancy and is also highly cost effective. But it is simply useless if women are stopped from accessing and using it. A woman’s reproductive years span over half of her lifetime and every reproductive choice she makes carries social, economic, and personal consequences. There’s a genuine risk that we’re slipping back to the dark ages. We cannot stand by and wait for the crisis to happen – we’ve got to act now.”

Adding to Julie Bentley’s comments was Brook Chief Executive, Simon Blake, who said: “A blend of different circumstances in sexual health are forming into a toxic mix. Services are being cut, and budgets reduced, the national sexual health and teenage pregnancy strategies have ended, the NHS is being radically reformed and there are attempts by a small vociferous minority to undermine women’s reproductive rights. By working with the public to understand the true scale of the problem, this campaign will help to protect the improvements made in recent years so everyone can access the contraception and advice they are entitled to. We simply cannot and must not go backwards.”

The FPA and Brook are now urging people in the UK to embrace the scheme and also to discuss and rate their own personal experiences of contraception services, both good and bad. This can be done via the interactive online sexual health map at www.wecantgobackwards.org.uk.

However it is not only the UK who is involved in promoting sexual health this week. Australia are also doing their bit for Sexual Health Week, with many public health experts speaking out and encouraging everyone to ask their doctor for regular sex health check-ups as well as to continue with safe-sex practices such as making sure to wear a condom.

Health authorities over in Australia have initiated a scheme called ‘Check it Out’, aimed at targeting the high spreading of the sexually transmitted infection chlamydia, which also happens to be the most common STI in the UK too. The decision to focus the majority of their efforts on chlamydia may have something to do with the recent publication of figures that show that chlamydia rates are continuing to increase by an average of 15% every year among 16 – 25 year olds in the South Eastern Sydney region of Australia.

Director of Sydney Sexual Health Centre, Dr Anna McNulty, commented that though increased rates of diagnosis may be due to more testing for the STI, notification rates continued to remain high amongst gay men. She said, “This is largely due to increased testing for Chlamydia, but also due to increased Chlamydia notification rates, which are unfortunately still high amongst gay men, and more so, men who have sex with men. Many people who have an STI do not have any obvious symptoms or signs, particularly with Chlamydia, which often has no symptoms. Chlamydia is easy to test for with a urine test and, like many STIs, is easily treated with a simple dose of antibiotics.  But it is better to have never had it at all. Chlamydia is easily prevented by using condoms. We encourage young people who are sexually active to use condoms and to see their GP, local sexual health clinic or youth health service to check out their sexual health and regularly test for STIs, in particular Chlamydia.”

If you do suspect you may have chlamydia, Medical Specialists Pharmacy can provide the Clamelle chlamydia test kit from just £24.85, which can be used in the privacy of your own home to avoid an embarrassing trip to the doctor. Or, if you have been confirmed as having this or gonorrhoea, the antibiotic Azithromycin can prevent the spread of the bacteria so that your body’s natural defences can fight back and remove the infection from your system. We also have the antiviral prescription medication Valtrex which helps to slow the spread of the herpes virus.

To minimise the risk of catching and spreading an STI, men must always wear condoms, and this is where we come in. We have a massive selection of condoms at fantastic prices such as the highly sought after Durex Performax Intense. This particular condom benefits both partners. It contains a lubricant – benzocaine 5%, which will prolong his climax, whilst the outside of the condom is ribbed and dotted to heighten her orgasm. On top of this we have a huge range of different condoms in our expanding chemist shop such as Durex Play Vibrations, which can be used in conjunction with a condom to add to the pleasure!

Tips to improve heart health and avoid high cholesterol

If you are not already aware, it is currently National Cholesterol Week! Medical Specialists Pharmacy supports the raising awareness of such an important subject and we are doing everything we can to get people in the know about the risks of having high cholesterol. This seems especially vital after we reported yesterday that many of the population are not fully clued up on the subject, to say the least.

Medical Specialists are not the only major organisation in the UK to get behind the scheme however, other major organisations to throw their support behind the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle include: Marks and Spencers, Coca Cola, Tesco, Sainsbury and Dr Oats. The main theme with this year’s National Cholesterol Week is holding a ‘Hearty Tea Party’, whereby people are encouraged to host a tea party for family and friends. These tea parties will hopefully help to raise money through things such as raffles, selling tickets for entry to your party, charging guests for a brew, stalls selling plants, crafts, cakes etc., and the old classic ‘guess the weight of the cake’ game. The money raised will go towards helping those suffering with high cholesterol and who are at a dangerous risk of suffering heart attacks, strokes, blood clots and many other life-threatening conditions.


One of the most effective ways to decrease your ‘bad’ cholesterol levels is through statin therapy with the use of medications such as Crestor or Lipitor. However, there are many other things you can start doing to improve your lifestyle that will drastically improve your heart health in the process too! These are things you should not wait until years into the future when it could be too late, take a positive and proactive view today, your heart will thank you for it.

. Reduce your salt intake

Having too much salt in your diet will raise your blood pressure and thus increase your risk of coronary heart disease. Anybody over the age of 11 should be having no more than 6g of salt each day in their diet. Certain foods have a high salt content and you should think about having them less frequently, or cutting them out of your diet. They include: bacon, baked beans, bread, canned vegetables, cheese, crisps, ham, pork pies, pizza, and ready meals. Parents should try to make sure their children don’t eat too much salt which will result in them developing a taste for salty foods and affect them in later life.

. Cut out the cigarettes

More specifically, stop smoking! There is surely nothing else that a person can do themselves that will help them live for many more years. Non-smokers are twice as less likely to suffer from a heart attack in comparison to their smoking friends. With smoking bans still very much in place for the foreseeable future, and plenty of wet/miserable weather hitting the UK currently, there has never been a better time to stub out for good!

. Control your alcohol intake

Drinking more than four to five units of alcohol each day can pose problems for cardiac health. Consuming high levels of alcohol can over time increase triglycerides in your blood. These are a particular kind of fat found in the bloodstream and increased levels of triglycerides can result in artery walls thickening up, leaving you susceptible to blood clots.  Limit your intake to one or two units of alcohol per day and this will then reduce your risk of developing atherosclerosis, which is when a build-up of cholesterol and other fats clog up the walls of the arteries and can result in chronic chest pain and a heart attack. Consistent binge drinking can also put you at risk of a heart attack as well as weight gain and obesity.

. Eat more fruit and vegetables

Fruit and veg should be a staple of everybody’s diet as they are an excellent natural source of vitamins and minerals. A healthy diet should ideally include five or more serving of fruit and vegetables each day as they include antioxidants and other nutrients that are beneficial for great heart health.  Some studies though have shown that eight servings a day can even lead to a 22% reduction in the risk of dying from heart disease. Vitamin C is a common and powerful antioxidant found in many fruit and veg and this works at preventing cholesterol from ‘oxidising’. This basically means when cholesterol levels in your blood get too high and become ‘sticky’. Therefore the cholesterol attaches better to artery walls and calcifies as plaque. This plaque causes major health problems in regards to cardiovascular health.

. Become more active

Adults should try to do at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise per day for five days a week. This can include: basketball, cycling, hiking, rollerblading, volleyball and walking fast. These activities mean you will be working hard enough to increase your heart rate actually break out in a sweat. Remember that your heart is a muscle; it needs to you to exercise so it can remain fighting fit and pumping blood around your body to the best of its ability. Exercise can also lift a person’s mood and prevent weight gain.

. Check your family history

As we mentioned yesterday, ‘familial hypercholesterolaemia’, (FH), is a potentially dangerous inherited condition that not many people are aware of. It is where somebody is born with high cholesterol because of a genetic defect, putting them at high risk of having vascular diseases and hardening of the arteries much earlier than normal. There are an estimated 120,000 sufferers in the UK and only around 15% are even aware they have the condition. It is advisable that everyone visits their doctor who can carry out a simple cholesterol check. If your cholesterol is abnormally high then they can suggest ways to best manage this, such as through statin medication.
So there you have it. These are just six of many ways that you can improve your heart health and also reduce the risk of you suffering from high cholesterol. They are all changes that you can start doing today, not five or ten years into the future. We encourage everybody to get on board and support National Cholesterol Week. With the weekend approaching, why don’t you begin organising your own Hearty Tea Party, raising both money and awareness about the dangers of high cholesterol. You can even share your own health tips and ideas with friends and family, listen to stories about what others are doing and start arranging healthy activities to get involved in with others such as trips to the gym, etc.

Are foods labelled ‘lighter’ any healthier?

So called low fat foods can contain a similar number of calories to the standard versions and in some cases contain even more sugar, according to a study by consumer watchdog Which?

The investigation by Which? found that as many as six out of 10 consumers eat low fat and light foods several times a week, believing that they are a healthier option and can help them to lose weight. But its snapshot sample of 12 low fat, reduced and light products from supermarkets, compared with their standard counterparts found minimal differences in calorie content.

A standard McVitie’s chocolate digestive contained 85 calories and a light one had 77. A Tesco low fat yoghurt had more calories per pot at 130 than a standard Activia version at 123, while the Tesco option contained more sugar at 20.2g, more than four teaspoons than the 16.9g in the Activia pot. The high fat and saturated fat content of cheese, meant Cathedral City lighter cheddar still contained a fat content, higher than the governments recommended guidelines.

The problem appears to be the public’s general misconception of words such as: low fat, lighter, lite and lighter. Labelling regulations define low fat as containing less than 3% fat, which is great; however, what most people don’t realize is that there is a big difference between low fat foods and those labelled light, lite and lighter. A product labelled light, lite or lighter only has to contain 30% less fat than the standard version.

30% less fat than the standard product sounds very good, but not if the standard product contains far too much fat in the first place. In such cases even though the product contains 30% less fat than the standard product, it still contains a very high fat content.

Which? found misconceptions among consumers about the meaning of the terms reduced fat and light, with only 16% of people correctly stating that products carrying the label had to contain 30% less fat than the standard alternative. The Consumer Watchdog said, “While shoppers believe that words such as light and low fat are interchangeable, they have significantly different meanings.”

Richard Lloyd, executive director at the consumer group Which? warned consumers to read the labels carefully before they buy light, lite or lighter foods. He said, “Consumers are choosing low fat and light options believing them to be a healthier choice, but our research has found that in many cases they’re just not living up to their healthy image. Our advice to consumers is to read the nutritional labels carefully.”

This is a view backed up by Maya Monteiro, Senior Education Manager at the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), who said, “There is a troubling lack of understanding about the calorie content of everyday food, a fact that is not helped by products being labelled light, when in fact they have a very high calorie content.”

One positive development is the introduction of the traffic light labelling system, which many of the major Supermarkets are now adopting. Food sold pre packed is labelled with a traffic light label, showing at a glance the proportions of fat, saturated fats, sugar, and salt using traffic light signals for high (red), medium (amber) and low (green) percentages for each of these ingredients.

Ingredient	Green (low content)	Amber(medium content)	Red (high content)
Fat	less than 1,5 g	between 1,5 g and 10 g	more than 10 g
Saturated Fats	less than 0,75 g	between 0,75 g and 2,5 g	more than 2,5 g
Sugar	less than 2,5 g	between 2,5 g and 6,3 g	more than 6,3 g
Salt	less than 0,3 g	between 0,3 g and 1,5 g	more than 1,5

Foods with green indicators are healthier and to be preferred over those with red ones. The label is on the front of the package and easier to spot and interpret than Guideline Daily Amount (GDA) labelling, which will continue. The GDA is difficult to understand for many and does not lend itself to quick comparisons.

The use of traffic light labelling is supported by many physician groups, including the British Medical Association and welcomed by consumers. Despite worries from some in the food industry that red foods would be shunned, the British Medical Association, Food Standards Agency and others agree, that consumers interpret the labels sensibly, realise they can have red foods as a treat, and they are easier to understand than lists of percentages.

Which? has campaigned for clearer food labelling and is calling on Morrisons andIceland, the two remaining supermarkets yet to adopt the traffic light system, to do so as soon as possible.