Learning another language could help delay the onset of dementia by up to four years, academics claim.

Researchers from York University in Toronto, Canada, analysed hospital records of patients diagnosed with a variety of types of dementia and found that those who were bilingual throughout their lives delayed the onset...

Opening a bottle of wine at the end of a stressful day is a treasured ritual for thousands of women in Britain. But drinking even a small glass of red or white each day could raise the risk of breast cancer, experts warn.

A review of data on alcohol and...

Playing music to patients when they go under the knife reduces their anxiety during surgery and could even aid their recovery, according to a new study.

Easy listening, chart and classical music can all have a calming effect on patients who are awake for surgery under local anaesthetic, the researchers...

Thyme could be a more effective treatment for acne than prescription creams, according to scientists.

The fragrant herb has long since been known for its astringent properties and widely used in herbal remedies as a treatment for the skin condition.

But new research, presented at the

Served by the bucket-load, dripping in butter, popcorn was once seen as little more than junk food for peckish cinemagoers.

But lately the snack has undergone a radical makeover, forging a name for itself as the low-calorie alternative to crisps for weight-conscious office workers.

And now scientists have...

Drinking even small doses of beetroot juice can lower blood pressure, cutting the risk of heart disease and stroke, new research has revealed.

A previous study found that drinking 500ml of beetroot juice led to a reduction in blood pressure over 24 hours.

But this latest...

People who are overweight in their 60s are at higher risk of brain decline, a new study has found.

Researchers studied 250 adults aged between 60 and 70 and found those with a higher body mass index (BMI) and bigger waists performed more poorly in cognitive tests.

The participants had...

For many people, the disease tuberculosis evokes images of the sickly child-protagonists of Victorian novels, bed-bound with “consumption”.

But recent research has revealed rapidly rising rates of a resilient strain of the disease, Multidrug Resistant TB, across Asia and Africa as well as some of the wealthiest...

The average 45-year-old woman has been on 61 diets since the age of 16, according to a new survey.

The statistics are perhaps not that surprising given that previous research revealed the average diet lasts just 15 days with as many as 35% of women gaining more weight than...

Scientists have discovered a "gluttony gene" that may be responsible for obesity cases caused by compulsive non-stop eating.

In laboratory tests on mice, researchers discovered the Bdnf gene mutation failed to transmit the message to the brain that signals when the body is full.

The researchers hope the findings, published...

Antibiotics could soon become ineffective, making conditions harder to treat and minor ailments potentially fatal, the head of the World Health Organisation has claimed.

The director general of the WHO, Margaret Chan, warned that the widespread use of antibiotics has led to bugs becoming increasingly resistant to the...

Expectant mums who use mobile phones could cause health issues such as ADHD and anxiety in their children, according to a new study.

However, the research has been slammed by British scientists.

The team at Yale University tested the effects of exposure to radiation from mobile phones on pregnant...

Staring at pictures of pizza might not sound like the best idea when you're trying to stay motivated on a diet but new research suggests it could be just the thing to stop you caving in to temptation.

Scientists have found that looking at images of high-carb foods can make...

A pregnant woman’s diet and lifestyle could have an effect on her child’s weight later in life, a study has found.

Scientists discovered a link between DNA changes at birth and the BMI of the child aged nine.

The study, published in journal Plos One, looked at data...

The average Brit has sex 42 times a year, a new survey has revealed. But while some are leading lustful lives, others are spending their evenings staring into their cocoa and going to bed with nothing better than a good book.

The nation's libidos vary wildly from town to...

The trend for tightly swaddling babies to prevent colic has sparked the return of a hip problem that disappeared 25 years ago, a surgeon has warned.

The practice of wrapping babies tightly in swaddling clothes fell out of fashion in the 80s but has had a recent resurgence in the...

Researchers may be able to turn regular oranges into healthier blood oranges by manipulating their genes.

The red pigments in blood oranges are flavonoids, which are believed to have health benefits including fighting obesity and heart disease.

A recent study, published in the journal The Plant...

Botox could soon be widely prescribed as a standard treatment for patients with an overactive bladder.

In a major study funded by Wellbeing of Women, researchers injected Botox directly into the wall of the organ and found that a single treatment reduced the symptoms of urinary incontinence by...

More than 30m adults in Britain are not eating the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, a study has revealed.

The findings suggest that a "disturbing" lack of knowledge about nutrition and the effect of the economic downturn are to blame.

The survey of 10,000...

Tied to your desk all day? Scientists have found taking just a short walk around every 20 minutes could be enough to reduce your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

Researchers in Australia found that a regular burst of low-intensity exercise helped reduce the body’s levels of glucose and insulin...